November 30th, 2010
06:28 PM ET

Kuwait's fix for Guantanamo detainees: Let them die in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (CNN) -  As the United States negotiated with countries around the world to find new homes for the remaining detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Kuwait's minister of interior had a solution for the four Kuwaiti citizens left in the prison.

"You picked them up in Afghanistan; you should drop them off in Afghanistan," Shaikh Jaber Al-Khalid Al-Sabah is quoted as saying, "in the middle of the war zone," where the detainees could be killed in combat.

The 2009 cable titled "The Interior Minister's remedy for terrorists: "Let them die," is among the diplomatic documents posted online by WikiLeaks.

In it, Al-Sabah is quoted as expressing concerns about his country's ability to hold the Guantanamo detainees.

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Topics: The News
President's statement on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' report
November 30th, 2010
05:01 PM ET

President's statement on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' report

Statement from the President as released by the White House

As Commander in Chief, I have pledged to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law because it weakens our national security, diminishes our military readiness, and violates fundamental American principles of fairness and equality by preventing patriotic Americans who are gay from serving openly in our armed forces. At the same time, as Commander in Chief, I am committed to ensuring that we understand the implications of this transition, and maintain good order and discipline within our military ranks. That is why I directed the Department of Defense earlier this year to begin preparing for a transition to a new policy.
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November 30th, 2010
04:58 PM ET

President's statement on House passage of the Claims Settlement Act of 2010

Statement from the President as released by the White House

I am pleased that today, the House has joined the Senate in passing the Claims Settlement Act of 2010. This important legislation will fund the agreements reached in the Pigford II lawsuit, brought by African American farmers, and the Cobell lawsuit, brought by Native Americans over the management of Indian trust accounts and resources. I want to thank Attorney General Holder and Secretaries Salazar and Vilsack for all their work to reach this outcome, and I applaud Congress for acting in a bipartisan fashion to bring this painful chapter in our nation’s history to a close.
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Topics: President Obama
Obama remarks after bipartisan summit
November 30th, 2010
03:07 PM ET

Obama remarks after bipartisan summit

Delivered in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building after meeting with Bipartisan Congressional Leadership

Hello, everybody. By the way, for those of you who are curious, we're using this room because we've got about a hundred volunteers decorating the White House. So we're spending a little more time in the EEOB.

I just wrapped up a meeting with leaders from both parties. It was our first chance to get together face to face since the election to talk about how we can best work together to move the country forward.
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Obama administration commemorates World AIDS Day
November 30th, 2010
03:03 PM ET

Obama administration commemorates World AIDS Day

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The White House put up a large red ribbon on the north portico entrance Tuesday to commemorate World AIDS Day on December 1.

President Obama announced a formal national HIV/AIDS strategy earlier this year that aims to reduce the number of new cases by 25 percent in the next five years.
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Topics: The Visuals • White House
Obama admits mistakes
November 30th, 2010
02:59 PM ET

Obama admits mistakes

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama told GOP leaders behind closed doors Tuesday that he had failed to reach across party lines enough
during his first two years in office, a senior administration official told
CNN. He promised to do a better job of bipartisan outreach in the days ahead,
the official added.

"The president said he had to do better, and the president is ready to do
his part," the official said.

The list of attendees at Obama's long-awaited post-election meeting with
the newly empowered congressional Republicans included Vice President Joe
Biden, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House
Minority Leader John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Boehner, the top Republican in the House, is set to become speaker in January.

Boehner also said Obama told him that he "didn't spend enough time"
working with the Republicans since taking office. The president said after the meeting that he has invited Republican and Democratic congressional leaders to meet with him again several times in the future, including for a Camp David summit - an idea considered by the administration for several weeks.


Topics: President Obama • Slurpee Summit • The Buzz • The News
President meets fellow Nobel laureates
November 30th, 2010
02:30 PM ET

President meets fellow Nobel laureates

Washington (CNN) – President Obama will meet with two American Nobel laureates at the White House Tuesday afternoon before they leave for Europe to receive their awards.

Peter Diamond and Dale Mortensen, recipients of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Economics, are continuing a tradition of American laureates meeting with the president according to White House spokesman Tommy Vietor. Both of their spouses are expected to be at the White House as well.

Diamond, Mortensen, and Christopher Pissarides of Cyprus will share the 2010 prize in economics for their research on how government policy affects unemployment. Diamond is on the faculty of M.I.T., Mortensen at Northwestern University, and Pissarides at the London School of Economics.

They will be honored in a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on December 10. The ceremony comes one year after Obama was honored as the 2009 Nobel Peace laureate in Oslo, Norway.


Topics: President Obama • The Buzz • White House
Obama may delay Hawaiian vacation over tax fight
November 30th, 2010
12:19 PM ET

Obama may delay Hawaiian vacation over tax fight

WASHINGTON - CNN has learned that President Obama is privately considering at least a short delay to the start of his holiday vacation in Hawaii in order to try to work out a deal with Congressional Republicans on the Bush tax cuts that expire Dec. 31.

Two senior administration officials tell CNN the White House has been getting signals that the lame duck session of Congress could drag on past Saturday Dec. 18 when the President was scheduled to depart for Hawaii and that Obama has privately said he is willing to stay in Washington until Christmas Eve if necessary in order to finish the contentious debate over taxes.
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Topics: President Obama • Tax cuts • The Family • The News
Live from the North Lawn
November 30th, 2010
12:12 PM ET
Bo takes a stroll
November 30th, 2010
10:50 AM ET

Bo takes a stroll

The first pooch takes a stroll in the morning rain as lawmakers descend on the White House to talk bipartisanship.


Topics: Bo • Slurpee Summit • The Family • The Visuals