December 26th, 2010
09:21 PM ET
Obama mixes work and pleasure on vacationHONOLULU, Hawaii (CNN) - Between a visit to the gym, attending church and a round of golf, President Barack Obama took time away from his Hawaiian vacation Sunday to place a phone call to Saudi Arabia's king and participate in an interagency coordination call and briefing on holiday threats. Chief counterterrorism adviser John Brennan led the call with the president and various agency heads involved with national security. According to a White House statement, they discussed the United States' "continued efforts to stay vigilant throughout the holiday season, and to coordinate with our foreign partners." In addition to the call, Obama was briefed in person at his Kailua vacation rental by National Security Staff Senior Director for Counterterrorism Nick Rasmussen and Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes. The administration dealt with an attempted terrorist attack just one year ago on Christmas Day, when a Nigerian allegedly tried to detonate an explosive device on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.
December 26th, 2010
03:11 PM ET
The beat that loves to eatHONOLULU (CNN) – There are several perks to covering the president. Trips around the world, vacations in Hawaii. And then there's the food. CNN senior White House correspondent Ed Henry shares what's it like to work on a beat that loves to eat. 
December 26th, 2010
01:58 PM ET
Gibbs: Gitmo isn't closing now(CNN) – A year has passed since the Obama administration said the Guantanamo Bay military prison would close, but White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday that the facility won't go away in the near future. In an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Gibbs said that even though the site is a recruiting tool for Islamic terrorists, legal and legislative issues have contributed to the delay in its closing. "It's certainly not going to close in the next month. I think it's going to be a while before that prison closes," Gibbs told CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley. "I think part of this depends on the Republicans' willingness to work with the administration on this." Check out the complete story on CNN's Political Ticker.
December 26th, 2010
12:30 PM ET
Gibbs: Obama used 'stubborn willpower' to stop smoking(CNN) – The president may have kicked his smoking habit once and for all. It has been about nine months since the president's last cigarette, according to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. In an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Gibbs said he still chews Nicorette, but that the president used "stubborn willpower" to stop. Check out the complete story, including video from "State of the Union," on CNN's Political Ticker. |
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