Author: Josh Lederman
-
Obama defends decision to commute Chelsea Manning’s sentence
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama firmly defended his decision to cut nearly three decades off convicted leaker Chelsea Manning’s prison term Wednesday, arguing in his final White House news conference that the former Army intelligence analyst had served a “tough prison sentence” already. Obama said he granted clemency to Manning because she had gone to…
-
Obama shortens Manning’s term, grants clemency to hundreds
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning on Tuesday, allowing the Army intelligence officer who leaked scores of classified documents to go free nearly three decades early. Manning, who will leave prison in May, was one of 209 inmates whose sentences Obama was shortening, a list that includes Puerto Rican…
-
Forceful and tearful, Obama says goodbye in emotional speech
CHICAGO — President Barack Obama bid farewell to the nation on Tuesday in an emotional speech that sought to comfort a country on edge over rapid economic changes, persistent security threats and the election of Donald Trump. Forceful at times and tearful at others, Obama’s valedictory speech in his hometown of Chicago was a public…
-
At Pearl Harbor, U.S. and Japan seek absolution from the war
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — In a historic pilgrimage, the leaders of Japan and the United States took to the hallowed waters of Pearl Harbor on Tuesday to prove that even the bitterest enemies can become allies. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not apologize, but conceded Japan “must never repeat the horrors of war again.” Seventy-five…
-
Obama vs Trump: Dispute erupts over who would have won
HONOLULU — In an alternate universe in which President Barack Obama ran for a third term against Donald Trump, who would have won? No surprise: The president and the president-elect disagree. A fresh dispute erupted Monday between Obama and his successor, spurred by Obama’s hypothetical musings that had he run again, he would have been…
-
White House announces support for women in military draft
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration declared its support Thursday for requiring women to register for the military draft, a symbolic but significant shift that reflects the U.S. military’s evolution from a male-dominated force to one seeking to incorporate women at all levels. President Barack Obama has been considering whether to adopt the position since last…
-
Off his message again: Trump vows to sue all female accusers
GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Steering his campaign toward controversy yet again, Donald Trump vowed Saturday to sue every woman who has accused him of sexual assault or other inappropriate behavior. He called them “liars” whose allegations he blamed Democrats for orchestrating. Trump’s blunt threat of legal action eclipsed his planned focus on serious-minded policy during a…
-
Trump mocks critics: I’ll accept election results _ if I win
DELAWARE, Ohio — Mocking his critics, Donald Trump pledged Thursday to fully accept the outcome of next month’s presidential election — if he wins. The Republican said he reserved the right to contest questionable results, deepening his unsubstantiated assertions that the race against Hillary Clinton could be rigged against him. Trump’s comments came a day…
-
Emails show Clinton treading lightly with Wall Street talks
WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton generally avoided direct criticism of Wall Street as she examined the causes and responses to the financial meltdown during a series of paid speeches to Goldman Sachs, according to transcripts disclosed by WikiLeaks. Three transcripts released Saturday as part of the hack of her campaign chairman’s emails did not contain any…
-
Obama pushes U.S. goal to send humans to Mars by 2030s
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama sought Tuesday to reinvigorate his six-year-old call for the U.S. to send humans to Mars by the 2030s, a mission NASA has been slowly and quietly trudging away at. The White House was calling attention to government contracts awarded to six companies to build prototypes for “habitats” that could sustain…