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| Obama: Need All Facts on Syria Chemical Weapons - Voice of America - Voice of America Posted: 30 Apr 2013 08:39 AM PDT U.S. President Barack Obama says the U.S. will "rethink" its options for dealing with Syria if it can establish that the government of President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons against its people. President Obama repeated to a news conference Tuesday - 100 days into his second term - that the use of chemical weapons would be a "game changer," but he said he needed to get all the facts. Speaking at the White House, Mr. Obama said as early as last year, he asked the Pentagon, military and intelligence officials to prepare for him what options might be available. But he refused to go into detail about what kind of military actions might be involved. He said the U.S. is already "deeply engaged" in trying to bring about a solution in Syria. Boston bombing President Obama says Russia has been "very cooperative" with U.S. authorities since the deadly twin bombing earlier this month at the Boston Marathon, allegedly carried out by two ethnically Chechen brothers. Obama said suspicions still remain between U.S. and Russian intelligence and law enforcement agencies that date back 20 to 30 years to the Cold War, but he said relations are continually improving. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin is committed to working to make sure Russian authorities cooperate fully with the Boston investigation. On Americans' response to the bombings, he said one of the things he has been most proud to see is a sense of "resilience and toughness." He said Americans are not going to be intimidated and will continue to live their lives, while doing everything possible to prevent future attacks. Budget woes President Obama says there are "commonsense solutions" to the United States' budget and economic problems, but that he cannot force Republicans to embrace them. Obama told reporters at Tuesday's news conference that he can urge lawmakers to take steps to solve the nation's budget problems, but ultimately, they themselves are going to have to say they want to "do the right thing." He said Congress is not fixing spending and that lawmakers are choosing between "pain now and pain later." Guantanamo President Obama says the Guantanamo prison should be closed. Speaking to reporters at a White House news conference, he said, "Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe ... it hurts us in terms of our international standing. It is a recrutment tool for extremists." He added, "The notion we are going to keep 100 individuals in perpetuity in no man's land ... is contrary to who we are and contrary to our interests." When asked about force feeding of hunger strikers at Guantanamo, he said, "I do not want these individuals to die." |
| FBI looking into relationship between McDonnells, donor - Washington Post Posted: 29 Apr 2013 06:41 PM PDT FBI agents are conducting interviews about the relationship between Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, his wife, Maureen, and a major campaign donor who paid for the food at the wedding of the governor's daughter, according to four people familiar with the questioning. The agents have been asking associates of the McDonnells about gifts provided to the family by Star Scientific chief executive Jonnie R. Williams Sr. and actions the Republican governor and his wife have taken that may have boosted the company, the people said. Among the topics being explored, they said, is the $15,000 catering bill that Williams paid for the 2011 wedding of McDonnell's daughter at Virginia's historic Executive Mansion. But questions have extended to other, previously undisclosed gifts from Williams to Maureen McDonnell as well, they said. The interviews, at which Virginia State Police investigators were present, began in recent months as an outgrowth of a federal investigation of securities transactions involving Star Scientific, which produces a dietary supplement called Anatabloc. The company disclosed that probe in a regulatory filing last month, saying it had received subpoenas from the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Now, federal officials are trying to determine whether to expand that investigation into a broader look at whether McDonnell or his administration took any action to benefit Star Scientific in exchange for monetary or other benefits, according to the four people familiar with the interviews. It is unclear whether the probe will be broadened. U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride declined to comment, as did spokesmen for the FBI's Richmond division and the state police. Tucker Martin, a spokesman for McDonnell, a possible 2016 presidential contender, said, "It is the policy of the governor's office to not comment on any possible investigations." Jerry Kilgore, an attorney for Williams, also declined to comment. McDonnell previously has said that he and his wife have known Williams for about five years, that they consider him a personal friend and that the first family's efforts on behalf of Virginia-based Star Scientific are typical of what any governor would do to promote the state's businesses and products. But the FBI interviews represent a potential escalation of the growing controversy about McDonnell and his wife's relationship with Williams, which has consumed the state capital in recent weeks. Williams and Star Scientific have given McDonnell and his political action committee more than $120,000 in publicly disclosed campaign donations and gifts, while the McDonnell family has received other benefits, such as a vacation at Williams's lake house in western Virginia. The McDonnells have taken actions to promote Star Scientific, including allowing the company to hold a 2011 luncheon marking the launch of Anatabloc at the governor's mansion. The focus of the FBI interviews has been to determine whether any of those actions constituted a quid pro quo — McDonnell using his office to promote the company in return for anything of value for him or his family — people familiar with the questioning said. |
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