Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα Obama. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων
Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα Obama. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων

Κυριακή 2 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012

Obama and Eastwood


President Barack Obama says the ribbing Clint Eastwood gave him at the Republican National Convention last week doesn’t mean he won’t watch his movies.
“I am a huge Clint Eastwood fan,” the president said in an interview excerpt released today.
“He is a great actor, and an even better director,” he continued. “I think the last few movies that he’s made have been terrific.”
USA Today asked the president about Eastwood’s participation at the GOP convention while Obama was traveling to Iowa on Saturday. The interview will be fully released on the publication’s website Monday and in print Tuesday.
Eastwood was a much-hyped mystery speaker at the three-day long event, rousing the crowd in a 12-minute oratory that included a satirical “interview” with Obama, in the form of an empty chair. The president said he didn’t hold a grudge against the blunt performance, which some considered borderline vulgar.
“One thing about being president or running for president — if you’re easily offended, you should probably choose another profession,” the president said.
Obama said not to expect any similar acts at the upcoming Democratic convention this week in North Carolina.
“I think we’ll be playing this pretty straight,” he said.
Most of the president’s surrogates on this morning’s political talk shows largely reflected his stance, with few directly criticizing the Hollywood legend. On ABC’s “This Week,” senior adviser David Plouffe said, “We’re all Clint Eastwood fans here in the Obama campaign.”
“The president, myself, we all, I think, everyone in America thinks he’s been an amazing actor and director and an American treasure,” he told George Stephanopoulos. “I do think the Romney campaign would probably not, three days after their convention, still having questions raised about Clint Eastwood. So you’ll have to ask them how that all went down.”
Senior Republicans are quietly perplexed with the performance. And in avideo montage of the convention released today Eastwood is noticeably left out of the clipreel.
Regardless, on NBC’s “Meet the Press” this morning former candidate Newt Gingrich said it was “one level of fun,” but also “almost irrelevant.”
“It provides lots of fodder,” he said. “On the other hand, if you’re Mitt Romney and your choice is to have ‘Saturday Night Live’ decide to pick on Clint Eastwood or pick on you, I think I’d give them Clint Eastwood for every night for the rest of the campaign.”
Via ABC

Σάββατο 1 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012

Obama's Box

Keep the conversation going and let the voter's voice be heard.

http://obamasinbox.com/ 

Τετάρτη 29 Αυγούστου 2012

Full Obama's Reddit Questions and Answers

President Obama made a surprise appearance on an Internet social forum today, popping up on Reddit to take questions via a forum known as Ask Me Anything, or AMA.

Obama's Verification Photo

The initial message: 

Hi, I’m Barack Obama, President of the United States. Ask me anything. I’ll be taking your questions for half an hour starting at about 4:30 ET.
We're running early and will get started soon.

Update:
Hey everybody - this is barack. Just finished a great rally in Charlottesville, and am looking forward to your questions. At the top, I do want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with folks who are dealing with Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf, and to let them know that we are going to be coordinating with state and local officials to make sure that we give families everything they need to recover.
Verification photo: http://i.imgur.com/oz0a7.jpg

Last Update: 
I need to get going so I'm back in DC in time for dinner. But I want to thank everybody at reddit for participating - this is an example of how technology and the internet can empower the sorts of conversations that strengthen our democracy over the long run. AND REMEMBER TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER - if you need to know how to register, go to http://gottaregister.com. By the way, if you want to know what I think about this whole reddit experience - NOT BAD!


Read the Full Questions and Answers: 


Question:
I am recent law school graduate. Despite graduating from a top school, I find myself unemployed with a large student loan debt burden. While I'm sure my immediate prospects will improve in time, it's difficult to be optimistic about the future knowing that my ability to live a productive life -- to have a fulfilling career, to buy a house, to someday raise a family -- is hampered by my debt and the bleak economic outlook for young people. I know that I'm not alone in feeling this way. Many of us are demoralized. Your 2008 campaign was successful in large part due to the efforts of younger demographics. We worked for you, we campaigned for you, and we turned out in record numbers to vote for you. What can I say to encourage those in similar situations as I am to show up again in November? What hope can you offer us for your second term?
Answer:
I understand how tough it is out there for recent grads. You're right - your long term prospects are great, but that doesn't help in the short term. Obviously some of the steps we have taken already help young people at the start of their careers. Because of the health care bill, you can stay on your parent's plan until you're twenty six. Because of our student loan bill, we are lowering the debt burdens that young people have to carry. But the key for your future, and all our futures, is an economy that is growing and creating solid middle class jobs - and that's why the choice in this election is so important. The other party has two ideas for growth - more taxs cuts for the wealthy (paid for by raising tax burdens on the middle class and gutting investments like education) and getting rid of regulations we've put in place to control the excesses on wall street and help consumers. These ideas have been tried, they didnt work, and will make the economy worse. I want to keep promoting advanced manufacturing that will bring jobs back to America, promote all-American energy sources (including wind and solar), keep investing in education and make college more affordable, rebuild our infrastructure, invest in science, and reduce our deficit in a balanced way with prudent spending cuts and higher taxes on folks making more than $250,000/year. I don't promise that this will solve all our immediate economic challenges, but my plans will lay the foundation for long term growth for your generation, and for generations to follow. So don't be discouraged - we didn't get into this fix overnight, and we won't get out overnight, but we are making progress and with your help will make more.
Question:
What's the recipe for the White House's beer?
Answer:
It will be out soon! I can tell from first hand experience, it is tasty.
Question:
What are you going to do to end the corrupting influence of money in politics during your second term?
Answer:
Money has always been a factor in politics, but we are seeing something new in the no-holds barred flow of seven and eight figure checks, most undisclosed, into super-PACs; they fundamentally threaten to overwhelm the political process over the long run and drown out the voices of ordinary citizens. We need to start with passing the Disclose Act that is already written and been sponsored in Congress - to at least force disclosure of who is giving to who. We should also pass legislation prohibiting the bundling of campaign contributions from lobbyists. Over the longer term, I think we need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional amendment process to overturn Citizens United (assuming the Supreme Court doesn't revisit it). Even if the amendment process falls short, it can shine a spotlight of the super-PAC phenomenon and help apply pressure for change.
Question:
What was the most difficult decision that you had to make during this term?
Answer:
The decision to surge our forces in afghanistan. Any time you send our brave men and women into battle, you know that not everyone will come home safely, and that necessarily weighs heavily on you. The decision did help us blunt the taliban's momentum, and is allowing us to transition to afghan lead - so we will have recovered that surge at the end of this month, and will end the war at the end of 2014. But knowing of the heroes that have fallen is something you never forget.
Question:
What is the first thing you'll do on November 7th, win or lose?
Answer:
Win or lose, I'll be thanking everybody who is working so hard - especially all the volunteers in field offices all across the country, and the amazing young people in our campaign offices.
Question:
How are you going help small businesses in 2013 and 2014? and what if any bills are you going to implement for small businesses, in 2013, and 2014?
Answer:
We've really focused on this since I came into office - 18 tax cuts for small business, easier funding from the SBA. Going forward, I want to keep taxes low for the 98 percent of small businesses that have $250,000 or less in income, make it easier for small business to access financing, and expand their opportunities to export. And we will be implementing the Jobs Act bill that I signed that will make it easier for startups to access crowd-funding and reduce their tax burden at the start-up stage.
Question:
Who's your favourite Basketball player?
Answer:
Jordan - I'm a Bulls guy.
Question:
We know how Republicans feel about protecting Internet Freedom. Is Internet Freedom an issue you'd push to add to the Democratic Party's 2012 platform?
Answer:
Internet freedom is something I know you all care passionately about; I do too. We will fight hard to make sure that the internet remains the open forum for everybody - from those who are expressing an idea to those to want to start a business. And although there will be occasional disagreements on the details of various legislative proposals, I won't stray from that principle - and it will be reflected in the platform.
Question:
Are you considering increasing funds to the space program?
Answer:
Making sure we stay at the forefront of space exploration is a big priority for my administration. The passing of Neil Armstrong this week is a reminder of the inspiration and wonder that our space program has provided in the past; the curiosity probe on mars is a reminder of what remains to be discovered. The key is to make sure that we invest in cutting edge research that can take us to the next level - so even as we continue work with the international space station, we are focused on a potential mission to a asteroid as a prelude to a manned Mars flight.

Obama's Reddit on Prosperity, Economy and Corruption



Question: 

I am recent law school graduate. Despite graduating from a top school, I find myself unemployed with a large student loan debt burden. While I'm sure my immediate prospects will improve in time, it's difficult to be optimistic about the future knowing that my ability to live a productive life -- to have a fulfilling career, to buy a house, to someday raise a family -- is hampered by my debt and the bleak economic outlook for young people. I know that I'm not alone in feeling this way. Many of us are demoralized. Your 2008 campaign was successful in large part due to the efforts of younger demographics. We worked for you, we campaigned for you, and we turned out in record numbers to vote for you. What can I say to encourage those in similar situations as I am to show up again in November? What hope can you offer us for your second term?


OBAMA: 

I understand how tough it is out there for recent grads. You're right - your long term prospects are great, but that doesn't help in the short term. Obviously some of the steps we have taken already help young people at the start of their careers. Because of the health care bill, you can stay on your parent's plan until you're twenty six. Because of our student loan bill, we are lowering the debt burdens that young people have to carry. But the key for your future, and all our futures, is an economy that is growing and creating solid middle class jobs - and that's why the choice in this election is so important. The other party has two ideas for growth - more taxs cuts for the wealthy (paid for by raising tax burdens on the middle class and gutting investments like education) and getting rid of regulations we've put in place to control the excesses on wall street and help consumers. These ideas have been tried, they didnt work, and will make the economy worse. I want to keep promoting advanced manufacturing that will bring jobs back to America, promote all-American energy sources (including wind and solar), keep investing in education and make college more affordable, rebuild our infrastructure, invest in science, and reduce our deficit in a balanced way with prudent spending cuts and higher taxes on folks making more than $250,000/year. I don't promise that this will solve all our immediate economic challenges, but my plans will lay the foundation for long term growth for your generation, and for generations to follow. So don't be discouraged - we didn't get into this fix overnight, and we won't get out overnight, but we are making progress and with your help will make more.



Question:  

What are you going to do to end the corrupting influence of money in politics during your second term?

OBAMA:

Money has always been a factor in politics, but we are seeing something new in the no-holds barred flow of seven and eight figure checks, most undisclosed, into super-PACs; they fundamentally threaten to overwhelm the political process over the long run and drown out the voices of ordinary citizens. We need to start with passing the Disclose Act that is already written and been sponsored in Congress - to at least force disclosure of who is giving to who. We should also pass legislation prohibiting the bundling of campaign contributions from lobbyists. Over the longer term, I think we need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional amendment process to overturn Citizens United (assuming the Supreme Court doesn't revisit it). Even if the amendment process falls short, it can shine a spotlight of the super-PAC phenomenon and help apply pressure for change.

Question:

How are you going help small businesses in 2013 and 2014? and what if any bills are you going to implement for small businesses, in 2013, and 2014?

OBAMA: 

We've really focused on this since I came into office - 18 tax cuts for small business, easier funding from the SBA. Going forward, I want to keep taxes low for the 98 percent of small businesses that have $250,000 or less in income, make it easier for small business to access financing, and expand their opportunities to export. And we will be implementing the Jobs Act bill that I signed that will make it easier for startups to access crowd-funding and reduce their tax burden at the start-up stage.

Obama's Reddit on Internet Freedom


President Obama made a surprise appearance on an Internet social forum today, popping up on Reddit to take questions via a forum known as Ask Me Anything, or AMA.

Obama's Answer on Internet Freedom and Internet Piracy Laws

QUESTION: We know how Republicans feel about protecting Internet Freedom. Is Internet Freedom an issue you'd push to add to the Democratic Party's 2012 platform?

OBAMA: Internet freedom is something I know you all care passionately about; I do too. We will fight hard to make sure that the internet remains the open forum for everybody - from those who are expressing an idea to those to want to start a business. And although there will be occasional disagreements on the details of various legislative proposals, I won't stray from that principle - and it will be reflected in the platform.




Previously President Obama has held a Google+ "hangout" on Google Inc.'s (GOOG) growing social network.  He's also on Pintrest and Instagram, while regularly posting videos to YouTube.


Obama's Reddit Priority on Space Funds


QUESTION: Are you considering increasing funds to the space program?

OBAMA: Making sure we stay at the forefront of space exploration is a big priority for my administration. The passing of Neil Armstrong this week is a reminder of the inspiration and wonder that our space program has provided in the past; the curiosity probe on mars is a reminder of what remains to be discovered. The key is to make sure that we invest in cutting edge research that can take us to the next level - so even as we continue work with the international space station, we are focused on a potential mission to a asteroid as a prelude to a manned Mars flight.

Σάββατο 25 Αυγούστου 2012

'2016: Obama's America,' Anti-Obama Documentary, Tops Early Box Office Results - Trailer







Big news at the box office: The film pegged as the anti-Obama documentary has outsold all other movies opening this weekend, according to early reports. "2016: Obama's America" raked in $2.2 million on Friday, outperforming other openers "Premium Rush" and the indie comedy "Hit and Run." The earnings also make it the top-grossing documentary of the year.

The surprising numbers put the film in fourth place overall on an otherwise sleepy box office weekend. It follows the cast-ensemble pleaser "Expendables 2" at No. 1 at $3.7 million, and the Jeremy Renner-anchored "Bourne Legacy," which secured the No. 2 spot at $2.7 million. Animated flick "ParaNorman" snagged third place at $2.3 million on Friday.
"2016: Obama's America" is based on Indian-American conservative author Dinesh D'Souza's book, "The Roots of Obama's Rage." (D'Souza also co-directed with John Sullivan, and narrates the majority of the film). A poster for the movie shows a profile of President Obama cast against a hazy gray fog with the tag line, "Love Him, Hate Him, You Don't Know Him."
Box office buzz around the movie may be tied to the upcoming Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Tampa, Fla. The documentary expected to bow down with a total earning of $6 million for the weekend.

2016: Obama's America - Anti-Obama Movie Stuns Hollywood For #3 (Video)



Because of Friday’s very weak box office, there won’t be any clarity behind the Top 10 film rankings until Saturday morning. As predicted Millenium/Lionsgate’s The Expendables 2 will finish in first place Friday and this weekend. It’s followed by Universal’s The Bourne Legacy in second place and the Rocky Mountain Pictures’ documentary 2016 Obama’s America in third place after starting out Friday #1. That’s  stunning because it’s playing in a 1/3 less theaters across North American than the other wide release actioners. (See below for more details). However, its hot pre-sales have made the pic frontloaded, and its ranking will fall steeply by end of Sunday. But its new cume after this weekend could make it the #1 conservative documentary (ahead of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed’s $7.7M). The success of the anti-Obama pic comes on the eve of the Republican National Convention August 27-30. This is turning into the weakest weekend of  Summer 2012 especially for new movies (with the exception of the anti-Obama pic). Sony Pictures’ newcomer Premium Rush is a disappointment, while Open Road’s Hit And Run (which opened Wednesday) takes a bad fall, and Dark Castle/Warner Bros’ new release The Apparition didn’t stand a ghost of a chance as a parting present for producer Joel Silver. “It’s exhausting working with numbers this bad,” one studio exec griped Friday. No new pic will even break $10M. Total moviegoing for the weekend adds up to only $75M, or -13% from last year.



Here are the Top Ten based on Friday’s estimates:


1. The Expendables 2 (Millenium/Lionsgate) Week 2 [3,355 Runs] R
Friday $3.6M (-66%), Weekend $11.7M, Cume $50.2M

2. The Bourne Legacy (Universal) Week 3 [3,652 Runs] PG13
Friday $2.5M, Weekend $8.4M, Cume $84.6M

3. 2016 Obama’s America (Rocky Mountain) NEW [1,091 Runs] PG
Friday $2.4M, Weekend $6.0M, Cume $8.9M

4. ParaNorman (Focus Features) Week 2 [3,455 Runs] PG
Friday $2.3M (-50%), Weekend $7.5M, Cume $27.1M

5. The Campaign (Warner Bros) Week 3 [3,302 Runs] R
Friday $2.1, Weekend $6.7M, Cume $62.9M

6. The Dark Knight Rises (Legendary/WB) Week 6 [2,606 Runs] PG13
Friday $2.0M, Weekend $6.8M, Cume $421.7M

7. The Odd Life Of Timothy Green (Disney) Week 2 [2,598 Runs] PG
Friday $2.0M, Weekend $6.5M, Cume $26.5M

8. Premium Rush (Sony) NEW [2,255 Runs] PG13
Friday $2.0M, Weekend $6.1M

9. Hope Springs (Sony) Week 3 [2,402 Runs] PG13
Friday $1.6M, Weekend $5.5M, Cume $44.6M

10. Hit And Run (Open Road) NEW [2,870 Runs] R
Friday $1.3M, Weekend $3.8M, Cume $4.8M

12. The Apparition (Dark Castle/WB) NEW [810 Runs]
Friday $975K, Weekend $2.6M

FRIDAY 2 PM: The anti-Obama movie 2016 Obama’s America went into wider release around America today and is opening right now in first place at the domestic box office. That’s quite a feat since the Rocky Mountain Pictures political documentary is still playing in only 1,090 North American theaters – or about 1/3 as many theaters as actioner The Expendables 2 (3,355 theaters). But these political documentaries like faith-based films are frontloaded. The Stallone pic from Millenium/Lionsgate still will end Friday and the weekend #1.

Exhibitors are reporting busloads arriving at theaters around the country in pre-organized trips. It also employed much of the same marketing techniques used to garner attention and support for faith-based films, understandable since the audience is overlapping. Its campaign included advertising nationally over the past two weeks on talk radio and cable news channels including Fox News Channel, A&E, History and MSNBC.

Both online ticket-sellers Fandango and MovieTickets.com showed advance buying for 2016 Obama’s America were accounting for 35% to 28% respectively before this weekend. The pic is based on conservative author and commentator Dinesh D’Souza’s New York Times bestselling 2010 book The Roots Of Obama’s Rage and co-directed by D’Souza and John Sullivan and produced by Academy Award winner Gerald R. Molen (co-producer of Schindler’s List). It opened on July 13th in a preview on a single screen in Texas grossing almost $32,000 during its opening weekend, then expanded into 61 theaters including New York and Los Angeles. In August, the film widened to 169 theaters nationwide and expanded again this weekend. “Yes, I also didn’t believe it when I first saw the film taking off in pre-sales on Tuesday,” an exhibition insider tells me. “Because there’s not a lot of new product that’s taking off.”

Distribution experts expect 2016 Obama’s America to fare similarly to that Kirk Cameron faith-based movie Fireproof. It was #1 in Fandango’s advance sales and did remarkably well during its opening Friday – but then ended up somewhere around #4 at the box office for the weekend.

Last weekend, 2016: Obama’s America grossed a strong $1.2M in 169 venues for a cumulative gross as of Thursday of $2.8M. It’s the #2 biggest indie documenatry of the year behind only The Weinstein Company’s Bully ($3.2 million) and already the #12 political documentary of all time.  It will rise a lot higher in the rankings after this weekend.

2016 Obama’s America detractors decry it as a slick infomercial heavy with conspiracy theories. But D’Souza says he made the film to motivate moviegoers to question what an Obama second term would look like, and credits liberal documentary maker Michael Moore for the structure of the film: “When he released Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004 ahead of the election, it sparked intense debate. I learned some lessons from Michael Moore, and hopefully he might learn some lessons from me about handling facts.”

By NIKKI FINKE / Deadline

American tragedy! 2 dead, 9 wounded in Empire State Building shootings, police say




A disgruntled former apparel designer was killed Friday morning in a hail of police gunfire in front of the Empire State Building after he shot and killed a co-worker and engaged in a gunbattle with two officers, authorities said.
Police officers fired a total of 16 rounds; one officer shot nine while another one shot seven, the New York Police Department said.
An investigation is under way, authorities said.
The violence erupted just as visitors began to queue up to ascend the famous New York skyscraper in one of Manhattan's busiest neighborhoods.
Police identified the shooter as 58-year-old Jeffrey Johnson, who was apparently laid off from his job as a designer of women's accessories at Hazan Import last year.
"We have on tape the perpetrator pulled his gun out and tried to shoot at the cops," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "Whether he got off any bullets or not, to be determined."

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the bystanders were not hit directly by police, but rather the officers' struck "flowerpots and other objects around, so ... their bullets fragmented and, in essence, that's what caused the wounds."
Earlier Friday, Bloomberg told reporters that some of the wounded may have been inadvertently hit in the crossfire or by ricocheting bullets.
Six of the wounded were treated and released at hospitals as of Friday evening, while three others remained hospitalized, Kelly said.
One of those wounded, Erica Solar, was on her way to get a cup of coffee at Dunkin' Donuts when a bullet tore through the back of her leg, her brother said. The Manhattan receptionist is being treated at the city's Bellevue Hospital.
Robert Asika, a 23-year-old city tour guide, was on his way to work when he got caught in the crossfire.
"When I turned around, I saw a guy reach in his suit and he pulled out a gun," he told CNN affiliate WCBS. "I guess he shot at the police officer. And the police officer shot him. And one of them shot me in the arm, and I fell."
The slain victim was identified as Steven Ercolino by the president of State University of New York at Oneonta, where he was a 1992 graduate.
"We were saddened to learn that a member of our Oneonta alumni community was the victim of this tragic and senseless killing," Nancy Kleniewski said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Steve's family."
Ercolino, 41, is listed as a vice president of sales at Hazan Import Corp., according to his LinkedIn profile.
"It's not something that should happen to a loving person like that," his brother Paul Ercolino told CNN on Friday night. "He's going to be so missed by everybody. He was a light of so many lives."
Johnson had a longstanding dispute with Ercolino "apparently centered on the fact that Ercolino was not selling -- at least in Johnson's opinion -- as much of his product ... as he wanted him to," according to Kelly.
The suspect lost his job last year "as a result of downsizing," but continued to return to the company regularly, having "a confrontation with Ercolino virtually every time he went back," said the police commissioner.
Both men filed harassment complaints against each other in April 2011, Kelly added.
On Friday, Johnson was wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase as he waited for Ercolino outside his business on West 33rd Street. When Ercolino appeared, "Without any conversation, he shot him once in the head and then shot him in the torso," said the police commissioner.
Johnson then walked east, before eventually turning north. A construction worker was among those who dashed after the gunman after the initial gunshots. Eventually, they alerted two police officers in front of the Empire State Building that the suspect "just killed a man around the corner," Kelly said.
The police commissioner said the suspect pulled his gun out of his briefcase as the officers approached, pointing at them. The officers then fatally shot Johnson.
A brief surveillance video released Friday night by police show the man walking behind a large planter on a busy street. He appears to point something as two officers approach, coming to within a few feet of him. Then, as bystanders run off in all directions, the man falls abruptly to the ground after apparently being shot.
Another video shot by an Australian tourist offered a street-level glimpse of the shooting, which prompted road closures and frightened onlookers.
At least two police officers appear in the video with their guns drawn over a man who is lying on his back. The man appears to be alive, with his hands partly outstretched.
The camera then pans to others who are apparently injured, as pedestrians duck behind buildings on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.
Witnesses said police shot Johnson at least three times.
"I heard the gunshots," said Anika Basu, who was on a bus near the building when the shooting happened. "I looked towards the left and saw three people fall. ... The whole entire crosswalk emptied and people were running.
"We didn't realize if it was an actual gunshot or what," she said.
"It's just a crazy scene here," added Rebecca Fox, who works across the street from the Empire State Building. She had been getting coffee and had her headphones on when she saw people running.
"When I walked across the street, I saw a woman who had been shot in the foot. And she was just in shock, sitting there," Fox said. "I looked down, I saw another man had been laying on the ground, and he wasn't moving."
One witness -- 22-year-old Max Kaplan -- said he heard at least nine shots and saw ambulances race to the scene.
"We're all very shaken up at the office," he said.
Aaron Herman, a CNN iReporter, painted a portrait of confusion.
"It was a little chaotic. Police had barricaded the area, and I saw one woman who was a victim. I think she had been grazed," he said. "Some said they heard around three 'pops' and ran into nearby local stores to be safe."
Authorities initially reported that nine people were wounded in the incident, but later revised that number to eight. Then on Friday night, Kelly said nine bystanders were wounded.
Shortly after the incident, Bellevue Hospital reported that it was treating six victims for gunshot wounds. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening.
Witnesses recount chaotic, unsettling scene at Empire State shooting
Police say Johnson used a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun -- which held eight rounds -- and was carrying extra ammunition in his briefcase. He purchased the weapon legally in 1991 in Florida, but did not have a permit to carry it in New York City.
The former Manhattan resident did not appear to have had a criminal record, but authorities were still checking, Bloomberg added.
His neighbor, Gisela Casella, described Johnson as a quiet animal lover whose death left her "shocked."
"He was the nicest guy. He must have snapped or something. I don't know," she said.
His landlord, Guillermo Suarez, said he lived alone and that he'd seen Johnson leave the building around 8 a.m. in a suit.
By around 9 a.m., the shootings had prompted local and federal authorities to close several streets around Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, snarling traffic in the heart of Manhattan.
President Barack Obama learned about the incident around 9:30 a.m. from top aides, the White House said. The shooting did appear to be linked to terrorism, authorities said.
What to know about the Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is one of the most famous skyscrapers in the world and one of New York City's best-known tourist attractions.
Each year, about 4 million people visit the building's two observation decks. At more than 1,453 feet tall, the landmark building reaches more than a quarter-mile into the sky.
The area also typically has a large security presence.
"There's always a focus and concentration on the building," retired police officer Lou Palumbo said. "That building gets special attention."
The Empire State Building Co. said in a statement Friday that "the building is fully operational at this time" and that police are investigating the incident.



By David Ariosto CNN



CNN's Rose Arce, Poppy Harlow, Mark Norman, Laura Batchelor, Rob Frehse, Leora Kapelus, Pauline Kim, Khara Lewin, Rande Iaboni, Eden Pontz and Dana Garrett contributed to this report.



Τρίτη 21 Αυγούστου 2012

Barack Obama warns Syria over use of chemical or biological weapons

 Gaurdian



US president Barack Obama bluntly warned Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on Monday not to cross a "red line" by using chemical or biological weapons in his country's bloody conflict and suggested that such action would prompt the United States to consider a military response.
Pointing out that he had refrained "at this point" from ordering US military engagement in Syria, Obama said that there would be "enormous consequences" if Assad failed to safeguard his weapons of mass destruction.
It was Obama's strongest language to date on the issue, and he warned Syria not only against using its unconventional weapons, but against moving them in a threatening fashion.
"We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilised," Obama said. "That would change my calculus."
"We cannot have a situation where chemical or biological weapons are falling into the hands of the wrong people," Obama told an impromptu White House news conference. He acknowledged he was not "absolutely confident" the stockpile was secure.
Obama said the issue was of concern not only to Washington but also to its close allies in the region, including Israel.
Seeking re-election in November, Obama has been reluctant to get the United States involved in another war in the Middle East, even refusing to arm rebels fighting a 17-month-old uprising against Assad.
Syria last month acknowledged for the first time that it had chemical and biological weapons and said it could use them if foreign countries intervene - a threat that drew strong warnings from Washington and its allies.
Western countries and Israel have expressed fears chemical weapons could fall into the hands of militant groups as Assad's authority erodes.
Israel has said that if Syrian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas used the situation to take control of the weapons, it would "act immediately and with utmost force."
"We're monitoring that situation very carefully. We have put together a range of contingency plans," Obama said when asked whether he envisioned the possibility of using US forces at least to safeguard Syria's chemical arsenal.
The Global Security website, which collects published intelligence reports and other data, says there are four suspected chemical weapons sites in Syria: north of Damascus, near Homs, in Hama and near the Mediterranean port of Latakia. Weaponsproduced include the nerve agents VX, sarin and tabun, it said, without citing its sources.
Obama also used the opportunity to renew his call for Assad to step down.
"The international community has sent a clear message that rather than drag his country into civil war, he should move in the direction of a political transition," Obama said. "But at this point, the likelihood of a soft landing seems pretty distant."
Obama said the United States had already provided $82m in humanitarian assistance for Syrian refugees and will "probably end up doing a little bit more" to keep the situation from destabilising Syria's neighbors.

Obama On Todd Akin: 'Rape Is Rape' (Video)



In a surprise news conference Monday, President Barack Obama addressed the controversy surrounding a remark by Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) that women who suffer "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant.


"The views expressed were offensive," said Obama. "Rape is rape. And the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we are talking about doesn't make sense to the American people and certainly doesn't make sense to me. So what I think these comments do underscore is why we shouldn't have a bunch of politicians, a majority of whom are men, making health care decisions on behalf of women."
The comments are the most high profile in a series of rebukes from both Democrats and Republicans. Earlier in the day, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney also condemned Akin, who is running to unseat Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.).
Obama did not call on Akin to leave the race, as some Republicans have done. "He was nominated by the Republicans in Missouri," he said, "I will let them sort that out." He did, however, use the opportunity to contrast his approach toward women's health care with that of the GOP.
"Although these particular comments have led Governor Romney and other Republicans to distance themselves, I think the underlying notion that we should be making decisions on behalf of women for their health care decisions, or qualifying forcible rape versus non-forcible rape, I think those are broader issues," Obama said. "And that is a significant difference in approach between me and the other party."

By Sam Stein / Huffington Post

Παρασκευή 17 Αυγούστου 2012

Obama didn't pass the exams for the economy


Three months before the election, President Barack Obama gets good marks from Americans for his handling of terrorism, fair marks for education and foreign affairs, but poor marks on immigration and three big economic issues: the federal budget deficit, creating jobs, and the economy generally.



These ratings, from a Gallup poll conducted Aug. 9-12, are similar to Americans' previous ratings of Obama's performance on each issue, as measured in 2011 and early February 2012. Only his approval on terrorism (58%) is down slightly from the peak level (63%) seen last fall after the killing of Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi. Also, his approval on education, at 49%, is up slightly from 41% last August.

Obama's Economy Ratings Trail Those of Prior Two-Term Presidents

Obama's ratings on the economy are significantly worse than all three prior successful presidential incumbents at this same point in their first term, according to the available Gallup trends. His 36% approval rating on the economy is well below George W. Bush's rating in August 2004 (46%), Bill Clinton's in August 1996 (54%), and Ronald Reagan's in July 1984 (50%). Still, in terms of comparisons to presidents who lost, Obama's economic rating is substantially better than that of George H.W. Bush in July 1992 (18%). Gallup did not measure Americans' approval of Jimmy Carter on the economy in 1980.

Obama's single worst rating of the seven issues measured in the current poll is for the federal budget deficit. However it is unclear how problematic this will be for him. His 30% approval rating on the deficit falls about halfway between Clinton's in August 1996 (43%) and Reagan's in July 1984 (23%).

Gallup initiated the "creating jobs" approval rating in 2009, and thus has no readings on it for previous presidents. However, on the similar item of "unemployment," Reagan earned a 48% approval rating in 1984, higher than Obama's 37% for creating jobs.

The available historical comparisons are more favorable for Obama on non-economic issues. His 48% approval rating on foreign affairs is among the highest earned by each of the last six elected presidents at this point in their presidencies. It is roughly on par with successful candidates George W. Bush (44%) and Clinton (53%), as well as George H. W. Bush (50%), who lost. Further muddying the interpretation of foreign affairs ratings, two presidents with similarly low ratings on foreign affairs -- Reagan with 38% approval and Carter with 33% -- had markedly different re-election outcomes.

According to Gallup's more limited job approval trends on education and terrorism, Obama's current ratings on both issues are nearly identical to George W. Bush's in August 2004; however, his approval on education is lower than Clinton's was in August 1996.


Economy Rating Most Closely Approximates Overall Job Approval

Comparing presidents' various issue approval ratings to their overall job approval ratings from the same polls, it appears that the economy approval rating is consistently the closest to overall job approval, and therefore arguably the most relevant. The only significant separation seen between the two was in July 1992 when George H.W. Bush's economy rating was an exceptionally low 18% compared to his overall job approval rating of 32%. By contrast, Gallup has typically seen presidents' overall job ratings run substantially higher than their approval on the federal budget deficit -- particularly with Reagan in 1984.

The relationship between a president's overall job approval rating and his approval rating on foreign affairs has varied, with the foreign affairs rating sometimes significantly higher than overall job approval and sometimes significantly lower. There are too few measures of other issue ratings to draw meaningful conclusions about their connection to overall job approval.


Bottom Line

Nearly six in 10 Americans approve of Obama's handling of terrorism; however, that is where majority approval of the president ends in the current poll. He earns his lowest issue ratings on the economic issue areas tested in the survey, with approval on the federal budget deficit the lowest at 30%, and his approval on the economy not much higher, at 36%.

While Obama's issue ratings are largely unchanged from where they have been over the past year, that stability may be a problem given his overall job approval rating is 45%. Historically, presidents who won a second term had near-50% job approval ratings or better prior to the election. To move closer to that range, Obama may want to focus singularly on raising his approval rating on the economy, as with previous presidents it seems to have been the issue approval most closely linked to overall job approval.

Explore President Obama's approval ratings in depth and compare them with those of past presidents in the Gallup Presidential Job Approval Center.

Survey Methods
Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Aug. 9-12, 2012, with a random sample of 1,012 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

Interviews are conducted with respondents on landline telephones and cellular phones, with interviews conducted in Spanish for respondents who are primarily Spanish-speaking. Each sample includes a minimum quota of 400 cell phone respondents and 600 landline respondents per 1,000 national adults, with additional minimum quotas among landline respondents by region. Landline telephone numbers are chosen at random among listed telephone numbers. Cell phones numbers are selected using random digit dial methods. Landline respondents are chosen at random within each household on the basis of which member had the most recent birthday.

Samples are weighted by gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, region, adults in the household, and phone status (cell phone-only/landline only/both, cell phone mostly, and having an unlisted landline number). Demographic weighting targets are based on the March 2011 Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older non-institutionalized population living in U.S. telephone households. All reported margins of sampling error include the computed design effects for weighting and sample design.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

For more details on Gallup's polling methodology, visit www.gallup.com.

Israel's trigger finger grows itchy over the nuclear threat from Iran


By David Blair 
(Telegraph)

Operation Opera went like clockwork. It took only 80 seconds for Saddam Hussein’s cherished ambition to build a nuclear weapon, over which his experts had laboured for six years, to be obliterated by Israeli strike aircraft swooping from a blazing summer sky. 

 

The destruction of Iraq’s Osirak reactor on June 7, 1981 was among the most successful preventive attacks in modern history. Just 16 bombs dropped by eight F-16s derailed Saddam’s nuclear programme, buying enough time for the dictator to seal his own downfall by occupying Kuwait and paving the way for the invasion of 2003. The history of the Middle East changed – and not a single Israeli aircraft was lost.
With Operation Opera seared into their collective memory, is it any wonder that Israeli leaders look at Iran’s nuclear ambitions and contemplate the same solution? If the rhetoric coming from the defence ministry in Tel Aviv is to be believed, the option of destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities with a series of air strikes is being considered more seriously than ever before. Indeed some anonymous briefings to the Israeli media come close to suggesting that a decision to launch a new Operation Opera has already been taken, with timing the only remaining issue.
An unnamed “decision-maker” – presumed to be Ehud Barak, the defence minister – told the Haaretz newspaper that Israel could not afford to wait for the US to act. “We need to look at the reality right now with total clarity,” he said. “Israel is strong and Israel is responsible, and Israel will do what it has to do.”
If so, the three months before the US presidential election in November provide the obvious window for an Israeli strike. The impression given is that the world may be a few weeks away from another war. As for the possible consequences, Israel’s outgoing civil defence minister says that any conflict would take place “on a number of fronts”, lasting for 30 days and costing about 500 Israeli lives.


The phrase “a number of fronts” is significant. Unlike Saddam in 1981, Iran has numerous ways of hitting back. The big difference between Operation Opera and a strike on Iran today is the risk of retaliation. To begin with, Iran could respond directly, using its arsenal of Shahab-3 ballistic missiles, each capable of striking targets up to 1,200 miles away, with Israel comfortably within range.
Perhaps more dangerously, Iran could act through its armed allies. Over the years, Tehran has supplied Hizbollah, the radical Shia movement in south Lebanon, with up to 40,000 rockets, all of them trained on Israeli targets. The last time Hizbollah fired its weapons was during the war of 2006, when Israel’s northern port town of Haifa was the main civilian target.
Today, Hizbollah’s arsenal in Lebanon is believed to include more advanced rockets with longer ranges and heavier payloads, bringing Tel Aviv itself within reach. More than half of Israel’s population of 7 million would probably be within range of any new bombardment launched by Hizbollah.
Finally, Iran could try to impose some of the pain of an Israeli strike on the rest of the world. Some 35 per cent of the world’s seaborne oil shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz on its southern coast. If Iran tried to block this channel, the oil price would probably rocket, dealing a grave blow to the world economy.
Guaranteeing failure, however, would require the sea power of the US Navy. And there lies the rub. Any war started by Israel would almost certainly drag in America at an early stage. Only an operation by the US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, could guarantee free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The anonymous “decision-maker” who briefed Haaretz shied away from the probability of America becoming an unwilling belligerent, saying: “We will absolutely not deliberately drag the US into war. If we decide to undertake an operation, it must be an independent act that justifies itself without igniting some large chain reaction.”
But Iran gets to decide whether to ignite a “chain reaction” or not. Tehran might react to any Israeli strike by playing the victim, not hitting back, and seeking to rally international sympathy. Western diplomats point to a precedent from 1988, when a US warship shot down an Iranian airliner, killing 290 people, and Tehran refrained from lashing out.
If, however, Iran did opt to threaten the Strait of Hormuz, US involvement would probably be inevitable. The decision on whether to embroil the US will thus be taken in Tehran, not Tel Aviv.
America is well aware of this – and President Obama’s administration is doing its best to restrain its erstwhile ally. There remains a chance that Israel is bluffing. On the face of it, there would be a clear diplomatic rationale for issuing empty threats. In the past, every rattle of an Israeli sabre has led the US and Europe to impose tighter sanctions on Iran.
Mr Obama has responded to Israeli concerns by hardening the US position. In March, he said that “all options” were on the table for dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions, pointedly adding: “Iran’s leaders should understand that I do not have a policy of containment; I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
Leaving aside Israel’s intentions, its air force may simply lack the capability to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities. Unlike Saddam’s lone reactor at Osirak, Iran possesses multiple plants, far better protected and located a lot further away.
The striking arm of the Israeli air force consists of 125 F-15I and F-16I jets. A war against Iran would require most – perhaps all - of these aircraft to hit targets between 900 and 1,200 miles from their home base. That hinges on air-to-air refuelling; yet, on paper, Israel has only seven KC-707 tanker planes. Would that slender lifeline be enough to get the aerial armada all the way to Iran and back again? Many experts doubt whether this would be possible. Michael Hayden, a retired US air force general and former CIA director, has stated flatly that Israel could not do the job.
Even if all the nuclear facilities could be hit successfully, Israel’s bombs may not be powerful enough to wreck their targets. The heaviest weapon in the Israeli arsenal is the GBU-28 “bunker buster”. But Iran’s uranium enrichment plant at Fordow is dug into a mountainside, protected by about 260 ft of rock and earth. Even this fearsome weapon might not be enough to deal with Fordow.
Work on this installation is believed to be continuing, with the aim of hardening its weak points, notably the entrances and ventilation shafts. If Fordow is already invulnerable to Israeli attack – or soon to become so – Iran would be able to concentrate the materials and expertise for nuclear weapons inside what Ehud Barak has called a “zone of immunity”.
Hence Israel’s pressing sense of urgency. Its decision-makers feel their option for taking action, if it exists, is slipping away. America, however, can still afford to wait. The superpower’s air force could deliver the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the world’s most powerful conventional bomb, which even Fordow might not be able to resist.
How these sombre calculations will work out is impossible to predict. Supposedly critical moments in the confrontation with Iran have come and gone. Unless things change, however, a genuinely perilous juncture will arrive one day – and it could be closer than we care to think.

Τετάρτη 15 Αυγούστου 2012

Obama campaign accuses Republicans of smear tactics over bin Laden, leaks


By Mark Hosenball



(Reuters) - Barack Obama's re-election campaign on Wednesday accused Republicans of trying to "Swift Boat" the president, a reference to hardball smear tactics used to attack the war record of Democratic Senator John Kerry when he unsuccessfully challenged George W. Bush for the White House in 2004.


Reuters reported on Tuesday that a group of former U.S. intelligence and Special Forces operatives was preparing to launch a media campaign, including TV ads, that scolds Obama for taking credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden and accuses his administration of leaking U.S. secrets for political advantage.

The group, the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc, unveiled a documentary-style video featuring interviews with former spies and U.S. military commandos on Wednesday.

The Obama campaign hit back.

"The Republicans are resorting to 'Swift Boat' tactics because when it comes to foreign policy and national security, Mitt Romney has offered nothing but reckless rhetoric," said campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt.

Romney's "two major foreign policy speeches never even mentioned al Qaeda once, and he hasn't outlined a plan for America's relations with a single region of the world," LaBolt said. "In 2008, the president said he'd end the war in Iraq in a responsible way and refocus on taking out al Qaeda's leaders, and few would question that he's kept his word."

The term "Swift Boat" refers to a discredited political smear campaign used to attack Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, in the 2004 presidential election. As a young U.S. Navy officer during the war, Kerry commanded a class of vessel called a "Swift Boat."

The 22-minute video released on Wednesday by the group known as OPSEC - spy jargon for "operational security" - contains interviews with people identified as former U.S. military and intelligence operatives.

They accuse Obama of claiming undeserved credit for the May 2011 U.S. raid by Navy SEAL commandos which killed bin Laden, and castigate the administration for alleged news leaks.

"Mr. President, you did not kill Osama bin Laden, America did. The work that the American military has done killed Osama bin Laden. You did not," Ben Smith, identified as a Navy SEAL, says in the film.

"As a citizen, it is my civic duty to tell the president to stop leaking information to the enemy," Smith added. "It will get Americans killed."

Leaders of OPSEC said it is nonpartisan and unconnected to any political party or presidential campaign. It is registered as a so-called social welfare group, which means its primary purpose is to further the common good and its political activities should be secondary.

However, the group was incorporated in June in Delaware, a state that has the most secretive corporate registration rules in the United States. It also set itself up as a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)4 of the U.S. Tax Code, allowing it to keep donors' identities secret. Group spokesman declined to discuss its sources of financing.

The group's president, Scott Taylor, is a former Navy SEAL who in 2010 ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for a congressional seat in Virginia. A spokesman for the group, Chad Kolton, served in the Bush administration as a spokesman for the Director of National Intelligence.

A former CIA officer who appears in the OPSEC video, Fred Rustmann, has given interviews to conservative news outlets including the Newsmax website and Fox News.

Responding to LaBolt's comments, Kolton, the OPSEC spokesman, said: "What the president and his administration haven't kept is quiet about critical missions and intelligence and that has put our agents, Special Operations forces and the vital missions they carry out at risk. Protecting the men and women who volunteer to serve our country is far more important than politics."

Spokespeople for the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney did not reply to a request for comment.

(Editing by Warren Strobel and Christopher Wilson)

Via Reuters

Τρίτη 14 Αυγούστου 2012

The American race is continued (for Obama)



Three days after, at Republican Party the Romney’s pick (Ryan) gave solutions to many questions, but it caused many problems. 


Specifically, Ryan is aggressive, communicative and he seems to know the economics.

But the old statement about the taxation of the middle class caused a negative impression. According to opinion polls, a large crowd is already negative person in this election.

The Obama's campaign is continued with some new ideas. Yesterday, the President spoke at Oskalousa. There, he pointed out the differences between Democrats and Republicans. His voters had gathered to hear him. After the speech many of them spoke about President Obama.

Thereby his staff tries to bring the focus of the election campaign the “American people”.

After the latest polls show Obama is not anxious about his re-election. He is ahead of Romney by 7 percentage points.


Some voters’ opinions for Obama:
“I think the stark difference is that the President ultimately stands for the working class and the middle class. And I know it almost gets to sound cliché—but they’ve got the data to support the claim that the Republicans are, in fact, in support of the richest and the wealthiest in America. That's who they want to aim the tax cuts toward, and they want to then pay for that on the backs of some of the middle-class, working Americans.”
—Scott, volunteer

“[President Obama] is trying to help the middle class. And having Mitt Romney trying to raise taxes on the middle class just really irritates me. I don't know how people can support that.”
—Danielle, student

"I’m voting for Obama. I wasn't old enough to vote in 2007, but I would have voted for Obama. I value everything that he supports, pretty much. So does my family."
—Taylor, student

“I'm a big Obama supporter. I believe his compassion, his empathy, his sense of where America needs to go is the right one that we need. And I think his family values and what we see from the Obama family is representative of the United States. These are real people that have come from where we are. I don’t think Mitt Romney has a clue what Americans are going through.”
—Wanda, retired

“[Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan] live in a different world that most of us don't. And they're just totally out of touch with reality and the working class people. Mitt Romney said in Des Moines at the State Fairgrounds that corporations are people, too, and that's how they feel. President Obama is trying to move this country forward. He’s created more than 4 million new jobs. I think things are on the right track.”
—Rick, firefighter

Δευτέρα 6 Αυγούστου 2012

Rumsfeld vs Obama for Israel-Iran

The Rumsfeld' s statment:

"If I were in the Israeli government,  I don't think I would notify the United States government of any attempt to do anything about Iran." 




Via Breitbart

Speaking with Fox News' Greta Van Susteren, former Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld re-affirmed his strong support for Israel as it seeks to protect itself from Iran's nuclear program. He made it clear that "sanctions have not influenced the Iranian regime" and that Israel would be wise to keep any plans for attacking Iran close to their chest. 

Rumsfeld said that any Israeli prime minister "who gets up every morning and reads in the newspaper that the leadership of Iran says the Israeli state should be annihilated, eradicated, incinerated, has to know that it's that prime minster's duty to see that that doesn't happen." 
But perhaps most importantly, Rumsfeld referenced the many leaks coming out of the Obama White House as justification for Israel to act unilaterally against Iran: "If I were in the Israeli government,  I don't think I would notify the United States government of any attempt to do anything about Iran." 
For Rumsfeld, the current administration's demonstrable inability to protect high-level secrets is reason enough to believe that if plans were communicated to the White House, they could "conceivably" be leaked in an effort to alert Iran.

Κυριακή 5 Αυγούστου 2012

Obama does not want money


Money for his election campaign Barack Obama looks. Hiw team will organize events to raise money next time. The close associates are constantly working for the victory, and invite those who want to help, either with money or with their work.




Jonathan Harris, executive director of the Democratic Party, said: 

"Connecticut citizens are working not just for an overwhelming victory here in the state, but through phone calls, social media and travelling to other states (... ) A lot of times, because we're a blue state, people think nothing's happening...But there are people...working every day".




Blumenthal, a Democrat who was elected in 2010, said: 

"The president is facing a tsunami of Super PAC and other undisclosed money (...) This deluge of money he faces really requires him to do the kind of grassroots fundraising through parties and events that are happening in Connecticut. The special interest money he faces is unprecedented".