Tag Archives: MR

Press Briefing by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 7/29/2013

By The White House

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

See below for a correction to a typo in the transcript (marked with an asterisk).

1:00 P.M. EDT

MR. EARNEST: Good afternoon, everybody. I apologize for the delay in getting started. Mr. Carney —

Q We’re accustomed —

MR. EARNEST: I’m sorry?

Q We’re accustomed to it.

MR. EARNEST: Okay, good. I want to keep you in the rhythm here.

Mr. Carney is taking his son to camp today, so I’ll be minding the store. So, Julie, I’ll ring you up first.

Q Thank you. A couple questions on the Mideast peace talks that are starting in Washington tonight. We know that the President apparently is going to be meeting with Secretary Kerry later today to discuss those talks, but does he have any plans to meet with the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators while they’re in town?

MR. EARNEST: Julie, I don’t have any details about the President’s schedule over the next couple of days to read out to you. There’s no current plan for that, but I wouldn’t preclude anything from getting added in the future.

As you know, the Middle East peace process is something that — or at least these conversations that are ongoing, or that are slated for this evening, was part of a process that was kicked off by the President’s trip to the Middle East earlier this year. Many of you traveled there for that visit. And the President had the opportunity to visit with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Abbas, and King Hussein of Jordan, where they had some conversations about how it’s in the best interest of both the Israeli and Palestinian people to engage in final status negotiations.

Since that time, Secretary Kerry has been traveling frequently to the region. I think every couple of weeks it seems like he’s taking a trip out there to talk to the parties and to talk to others in the region who have an important stake in this conflict being resolved.

So we’re certainly encouraged that the two parties are coming to Washington and beginning their conversations this evening, but we’re also cognizant of the hard work that remains over the next nine months. There are some very serious issues that have to be resolved, and it’s not going to be easy. The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and we’ll take that first step tonight.

Q Now that this first round of talks is underway, how does the President see his direct role? Is this something where he’s going to still continue to sort of seed the frontrunner status for the U.S. to Secretary Kerry and maybe only get involved if these talks continue and get to a real final status moment?

MR. EARNEST: Well, I’ll say a couple things about that. The first is this is a process that got kick-started with the President’s trip …read more

Source: White House Press Office

Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney aboard Air Force One en route to Galesburg, IL, 7/24/13

By The White House

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Galesburg, Illinois

11:16 A.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY: Welcome aboard Air Force One. It’s been a little bit since we've had the great honor and privilege of flying aboard this terrific airplane. We're headed, as you know, to Illinois, to Knox College in Galesburg, where the President will deliver a major economic address, laying out his vision for where we need to go in our economy to ensure that we have a rising and thriving middle class, because that is essential for the long-term health of our economy and for the American people.

So we've spoken a lot about that already this week. I wanted to let you know that later in the day when he travels to the University of Central Missouri, home to the Missouri Innovation Campus, he will note that the Missouri Innovation Campus prepares students with the education and skills they need to succeed at an accelerated pace while lowering costs and without student debt. Established in 2012, the Missouri Innovation Campus was developed through a partnership between the University of Central Missouri, Lee’s Summit School District, Metropolitan Community College, and local companies in order to drive growth in critical areas for the regional economy, including health care, engineering, energy and infrastructure.

The Missouri Innovation Campus provides an integrated academic experience that combines real-world, on-the-job experience with rigorous academics to graduate students from high school with a diploma as well as an associate’s degree, and then allowing them to earn a bachelor’s degree in only two years. This partnership provides students with a well-aligned education and prepares them with the skills they need to succeed in the Missouri economy and graduate with sought-after skills for high-paying careers, creating a pipeline for high school students to earn their diploma and degrees and get hired by local companies.

And I think it reflects the President’s firm belief that education is a cornerstone to the foundation we need to build economically. And that's why ensuring that as many Americans have access to higher education as possible and can afford that higher education is so important to the President.

With that, I will take your questions.

Q Jay, what is the latest information the White House has on the status of Edward Snowden? There were Russian media reports earlier today that he had gotten papers that would allow him to enter Russia, and then the latest update that we had was that his lawyer said that he was going to stay in the transit zone in the airport. So what’s the latest that you all know about him?

MR. CARNEY: Thank you, Darlene. We have seen reports of the nature you just described and of both kinds, and we are seeking clarity from Russian authorities about Mr. Snowden’s status and any change in it. But beyond that, I don't have any more information. And I can say that our position on Mr. Snowden remains what it …read more

Source: White House Press Office

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 7/23/2013

By The White House

James S. Brady Briefing Room

12:01 P.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY: Welcome to your White House briefing. I'm glad you're all here, and I'm here to take your questions and to provide candid and succinct answers. (Laughter.) Josh.

Q Thanks, Jay. To start with immigration, Republicans are taking issue with that tweet this morning from Dan Pfeiffer, saying that a Spanish language newspaper had nailed the cruel hypocrisy, the GOP plan, to allow legalization just for the DREAMers. I'm wondering if you can clarify, does the White House oppose that piece of legislation?

MR. CARNEY: What Dan was pointing out is that La Opinion opposes the approach being taken by some Republicans, which would avoid the essential responsibility to address immigration reform in a comprehensive way. And what La Opinion makes clear is that a bill that would allow some so-called DREAMers to stay in this country and become the Americans that they've long felt they were, because of their status and the fact that they came here when they were so young, but then deport their parents is hardly a workable solution.

The President believes that we have to address this in a comprehensive way. That is the right thing to do. And the idea that you can, oh, I don't know, declare yourself to have been more committed than anyone to improve our immigration system and then have nothing to show for it is a little laughable.

Q But are you concerned that by throwing cold water on that notion that they're looking at, that you're essentially closing the door to having something emerge through the House that you could have a conference committee with the signed bill that you do like? I mean, isn't that ultimately what the goal is here?

MR. CARNEY: Well, let's just be realistic about what we're saying here. Republicans opposed the DREAM Act when it was presented as a possibility, just like they opposed comprehensive immigration reform previously. The President has taken action to make sure that there is prosecutorial discretion, if you will, in the enforcement of our immigration laws that has provided relief to some DREAMers, DREAM Act kids. And, meanwhile, he has pressed for comprehensive immigration reform, and that effort has enjoyed substantial bipartisan support in the Senate and around the country. Businesses, labor, law enforcement communities, faith communities support this effort.

It's good for the economy. It reduces the deficit. It extends the solvency and viability of Social Security. Some of the goals that conservatives say they most cherish are addressed in comprehensive immigration reform.

And what I think the editorial in La Opinion reflects is the need for all of us, but perhaps mostly Republican leaders, to pay some attention to the Spanish-language media in this country, because that media are making clear that they expect action from Congress and that they hold those who oppose common-sense solutions to this …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 7/22/2013

By The White House

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

1:16 P.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY: Welcome to the White House. Happy Monday. Hope you had a great weekend. I trust that you all saw the email that we sent out regarding the President’s travels this week. He very much looks forward to returning to Knox College, where he will deliver an address about the economy, where we are, where we've been and where we need to go — where he will lay out as part of a series of speeches that he’s given over his political career as a national figure about the need to expand the middle class, provide ladders of opportunity to those who aspire to the middle class, and to invest in our economy in a way that ensures that it will grow into the future.

So, with that, I take your questions. Please, Associated Press — Darlene.

Q Thank you. A little bit more on the speech that the President is doing this week. Can you sort of talk about why now? Why late July? And more importantly, who does he think will be listening?

MR. CARNEY: Well, on the first point, the President believes that it is an appropriate time to address the very issues that concern most Americans. There is no question that here in Washington, at least, if not out in the country, there have been a great many distractions from the central preoccupations of the American people, which have to do with the economy and the need to ensure that individuals have good jobs, that they have the ability to take care of their parents in retirement, and they have the ability to pay for college for their sons and daughters; that they have affordable health care, and that they are able to save some money of their own for their retirement; that they’re able to own a house or a home and that that house or home is not underwater.

And what is absolutely true is that we have come a long way since the depths of the Great Recession. We've created over 7.2 million private sector jobs, 40 straight months of economic growth. But we have more work to do. And what the President hopes to do is talk about how we can do that together, how we can do it in a way that ensures not just that jobs are created in the near term, but that we are investing in our future.

And July seems like an excellent time to do it, given that in the coming months we'll see a return to a focus here in Washington on economic issues, and he hopes and believes it’s essential that we set our sights high and that we look more broadly at the state of the economy and where we need to go as a nation as we engage in the discussions that we'll be having in the next several …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 7/19/2013

By The White House

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

1:52 P.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY: I'm here to take your questions, traditional briefing. I would understand if folks need to go file — that’s fine. And I leave it to our friends in the front row to tell me how brief we can keep this.

Q Yes, keep it short.

MR. CARNEY: Keep it short.

Q Yes.

MR. CARNEY: Let me go to Julie.

Q I guess just to start off, can you tell us a little bit about the process of having that — said remarks happen? Why did the President decide to do it now at the end of the week, almost a week after this verdict?

MR. CARNEY: I'll just say a couple of things, because the process is far less important than the words the President spoke. And he wanted to say something and he came out and said it, and he's obviously mindful of the discussions that have been going on.

I think some of us had discussions earlier this week that when — he was certainly prepared to take questions on this issue when he had some interviews earlier in the week, and would have answered them in probably similar fashion. But he felt like today was a good day to speak about it.

Q And then just on Detroit, the Vice President said in his event earlier today that there have been some meetings at the White House on the situation there. Is there any type of federal response or federal assistance that the White House deems appropriate in this situation?

MR. CARNEY: You have heard leaders in Michigan say — and we believe they're correct — that this is an issue that has to be resolved between Michigan and Detroit and the creditors, when it comes to the insolvency of the city.

Now, we are, of course, engaged in conversations with — about policy options and other ways that we can be of assistance to Detroit, and that includes Gene Sperling, and Valerie Jarrett, and Shaun Donovan, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development — all of whom have had discussions with the leadership team in Detroit and with leaders in Michigan.

But on the issue of insolvency and on those matters, that’s something that local leaders and creditors are going to have to resolve. But we will be partners in an effort to assist the city and the state as they move forward.

Q Is there any talk of a bailout for Detroit?

MR. CARNEY: I think, again, I would point you to what we have said and what leaders in Michigan and Detroit have said, which is that on the matter of their insolvency, that’s something for the city and the creditors to resolve.

Q And how worried are you about the overall impact of this on the U.S. economy?

MR. CARNEY: Well, I don’t have …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 7/16/2013

By The White House

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

12:58 P.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being here, as ever, for your White House briefing. I do not have any announcements or discussions of my weekend for the top, and therefore, I will go straight to Julie Pace.

Q Thank you. Does the White House support this deal that's emerging in the Senate to move forward on some of the President’s nominees?

THE PRESIDENT: Let me say a couple things. One, any agreement that there might be between senators has yet to be formally announced, and so we will not get ahead of such an announcement if and when it comes.

We have worked very closely with Senator Reid and we have made clear our support for Senator Reid’s position in this because we share — the President shares his frustration over the obstructionism that we've seen from Republicans in the Senate when it comes to the confirmation of the President’s nominees. And we would be glad to see a resolution that results in the speedy confirmation of the President’s qualified nominees to these positions that have been at issue. And that includes Rich Cordray at CFPB; it includes Gina McCarthy at EPA and Tom Perez at Labor, and others.

So we won't have a full comment on an agreement that is yet to be announced, but we hope there is one. We simply hope that there’s a resolution that allows for the confirmation of the President’s nominees, which is why we supported all along Senator Reid in his approach to this matter.

Q Senator McCain, who has been quite involved in this process, says that he spoke with Vice President Biden and Denis McDonough over the past few days on this. Can you tell us what the White House’s role was in trying to break this impasse?

MR. CARNEY: The White House was not involved in negotiating. The White House provided information and answered questions when it came to working with Senate Republicans, including, of course, Senator McCain, who, again, as I understand it, based on what we've seen, deserves significant credit for his efforts in trying to find a resolution here — a resolution that allows for hopefully the speedy confirmation of the President’s nominees.

But this has been a — this solution that has been sought has been one that has been sought and negotiated by senators. And our position has been to communicate with and work with Senator Reid and other Democrats on this issue. But the negotiating between Democrats and Republicans has happened between senators.

Q Also, Edward Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia. Has the White House reached out to the Russians since he filed his application? Is there any general comment on his taking this step?

MR. CARNEY: There are regular communications between the U.S. government and the Russian government on …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 7/12/2013

By The White House

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

1:10 P.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY: The Associated Press, start us off. I have no announcements. Welcome.

Q Edward Snowden has said he would like to have asylum in Russia, that he’s willing to agree to their demand that he not continue to release information to them. What is your message today to Russia about what the implications of granting that to him would be for their relations with the United States?

MR. CARNEY: Our position on Mr. Snowden and the felony charges against him, and our belief that he ought to be returned to the United States to face those felony charges is as it was. And we have communicated it to a variety of countries, including Russia. So it’s no different than it was. And I would simply say that providing a propaganda platform for Mr. Snowden runs counter to the Russian government’s previous declarations of Russia’s neutrality and that they have no control over his presence in the airport. It’s also incompatible with Russian assurances that they do not want Mr. Snowden to further damage U.S. interests.

But having said that, our position also remains that we don’t believe this should, and we don’t want it to do harm to our important relationship with Russia. And we continue to discuss with Russia our strongly held view that there is absolute legal justification for him to be expelled, for him to be returned to the United States to face the charges that have been brought against him for the unauthorized leaking of classified information.

Q Can you tell us a little bit about the President’s session today with the Attorney General? And has he accepted Eric Holder’s report on media relations and investigations?

MR. CARNEY: The President did meet with the Attorney General today in the Oval, and the Attorney General did discuss with him and present to him that report. I believe the Department of Justice will be releasing that report this afternoon, but I’d refer you to them.

Q So if they’re releasing it this afternoon, that indicates that the President did accept it as it was presented?

MR. CARNEY: Yes, I think that’s a fair assessment to make. We won’t have any statement or comment on it before it’s released, but I believe the Department of Justice is releasing it today.

Q And on Secretary Napolitano’s departure, do you have any information for us on who her replacement might be or any timeline for that decision?

MR. CARNEY: I have no names to float, if you will. I would say that the President greatly appreciates Secretary Napolitano’s four-plus years of service. And if you think about it, those four and a half years account for almost half the existence of the Department of Homeland Security. And she’s done a remarkable job. And on her watch there have …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office

Smell Coming From Sump Pump

By admin

QUESTION:

We have urine smell (or worse) coming up from sump pump cover. I was told that we didn’t have to get the septic tank cleaned out until next year. I think air is coming up through the sump pump. Is this natural?

–DAN

ANSWER:

Failure to pump the septic system should not cause a smell. There should be no smell with a typical sump pump system. The sump pump pit collects clear rain water from the drain tile system, and ejects to the outside or an underground septic system. You could flush out the sump crock with lots of clear water if you have a smell problem. At times, there could be a smell from rodents or other debris.

Since you mentioned a septic system, I suspect the pump and crock you are referring to is a gray water or septic pump. It will look just like a sump pump and crock, but it collects water from the floor drain or basement laundry tub and pumps the water up into the septic tank line. The sewer ejector pump could be an open crock for an older system.

The ejector in all newer systems is sealed with a cover and will have a vent pipe connected. This system with an open crock can develop a smell and again you can flush it out with lots of clear water. If you have an open crock, consider changing to a sealed, vented crock. Finally, air should not enter either type of crock through the sump pump, so I don’t know what is happening there.

MR. FIX-IT

From: http://misterfix-it.com/blog/?p=946

Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest Aboard Air Force One en route Boston, MA

By The White House

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Boston, Massachusetts

9:35 A.M. EDT

MR. EARNEST: Good morning, everybody. Welcome aboard Air Force One as we make our way to Boston. I have a couple of updates that I'll walk through before we open it up to questions.

The first is you all have received an email overnight that the President signed a disaster declaration for the state of Massachusetts. This will make additional federal resources available to state and local officials who are responsible for responding to the bombings in Boston. So I wanted to flag that for you.

Second is prior to departure from the White House today, the President received a briefing on the latest — on the investigation into the bombings in Boston from his Homeland Security Advisor, Lisa Monaco. As you know, over the course of the last couple of days, the President has been routinely briefed on these latest details, and so he got his latest briefing this morning in person prior to leaving the White House.

The third thing is many of you have asked whether or not the President will have the opportunity while he’s in Boston to meet with the families of those who were injured or killed in the bombings. He will have that opportunity while he’s in Boston. He'll also have the opportunity to talk to some of the first responders, both professionals as well as the volunteers who were the first on the scene and were there to tend to those who were injured in the blasts.

I don't have any details for you at this point about where and when those meetings and those visits will occur, but over the course of the day we'll keep you updated on the President’s activities.

The last thing is I wanted to just give you a sense of who’s aboard Air Force one with us today. Several members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation are onboard. So both Massachusetts senators — Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Mo Cowan are aboard Air Force One this morning. Also aboard are Congressman Michael Capuano, Congressman Steven Lynch, Congressman Richard Neal, Congressman Bill Keating, and Congressman John Tierney. And then also aboard the plane is Vickie Kennedy, the wife of the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy.

Those are all the updates I have at this point. So we'll open it up for questions.

Q Josh, do you guys have any update on the West, Texas situation? Was the President briefed on it? And at this point, are you guys looking at this as an accident, or any kind of possible suspicious activity there?

MR. EARNEST: Well, let me start by saying that the thoughts and prayers of the President and First Lady go out to those who were affected by the blast that we saw in West, Texas last evening. It is clear just from the reports that the devastation there is quite significant and the Federal

From: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/04/18/press-gaggle-principal-deputy-press-secretary-josh-earnest-aboard-air-fo

Candle Soot: Shadowing and Ghosting

By admin

M049 - Candle - Soot Generator

QUESTION:

Two years ago, we installed a new roof with ridge vents. Recently, we have noticed shadows on our ceilings in places where the roof trusses run. The house has cathedral ceilings as well as flat ceilings, and these “shadows” show up in all rooms. Also, along an exterior wall in our kitchen, we can see (from end to end) the outline of the roof truss, as well as vertical markings of studs. The markings in the ceiling and the walls look like someone lightly penciled in shadows of the trusses and studs. Can this be a result of the ridge vent that was cut in the roof?

-TOM

ANSWER:

What you are describing is textbook “shadowing” or “ghosting ” from candle soot. Does someone in your family burn those nice aromatic candles in glass jugs? Those are great soot producers.

Candle soot is about as heavy as air. It moves throughout your home, aided by the forced air furnace. Outside walls and attic ceilings have plenty of insulation, but there is much less insulation on the framing edges. As a result, framing edges and fasteners are slightly cooler than the surrounding drywall.

When the air moves across the cooler surfaces, it slows slightly and deposits soot. The dark soot stains outline the framing with a shadowy or ghostly appearance.

So, stop burning candles! Or at least burn only very high-quality candles, and keep the wicks trimmed to 1/4 inch or less. Don’t burn candles in jugs – their combustion is starved of oxygen, so it produces lots of soot. You can find more information at misterfix-it.com in the Free Articles section; look for the article, Soot, Ghosts and Ugly Stains.

MR. FIX-IT

From: http://misterfix-it.com/blog/?p=939

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 4/12/2013

By The White House

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

12:25 P.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY: Welcome, everyone. Happy Friday. The thunderstorms of the morning have given way to sunny skies — and augurs a beautiful weekend, I hope.

Q Very poetic.

MR. CARNEY: Before I take your questions, I wanted to let you know that as we continue to debate common-sense measures to reduce gun violence and save lives, one thing that has been very clear is that nobody has a more important or powerful perspective on the issue than the families who have lost loved ones because of the scourge of gun violence.

As you know, the President has been in regular contact this week with the families of victims of the 12/14 shootings, and he believes their voices and resolve have been critical to the continued progress we’ve seen in the Senate.

With that in mind, the President has asked Francine Wheeler — who lost her 6-year-old son, Ben, on that terrible day — to speak to the American people in this week’s Weekly Address.

With that, I will take your questions.

Q Was this the first time someone other than the President has done it — not just this President — in history? Is that your understanding?

MR. CARNEY: I can’t speak for previous administrations. It is the case that in this administration, the Vice President delivered the Weekly Address when I was working for him, but I don’t know about past administrations.

Jim.

Q Thank you, Jay. I wanted to ask about North Korea and developments that emerged after the briefing yesterday — reports that North Korea could have weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles, even though reports said the weapon itself might be unreliable. How much of a concern is this to the President? And given the unpredictable behavior by North Korea’s leader, even if weapons aren’t fully developed, is there a danger that this guy could actually act on something that’s not been tested?

MR. CARNEY: Well, first of all, I want to be clear that North Korea has not demonstrated the capability to deploy a nuclear-armed missile. The United States continues to closely monitor the North Korean nuclear program, and calls upon North Korea to honor its international obligations.

So I just want to be clear, out of — in response to your question, that it is our assessment that North Korea has not demonstrated the capability to deploy a nuclear-armed missile. To your broader question, we have responded to the series of provocative actions as well as the stepped-up bellicose rhetoric emanating from Pyongyang by taking a series of prudent measures to ensure that our homeland and our allies are defended. That includes steps to enhance our missile

From: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/04/12/press-briefing-press-secretary-jay-carney-4122013

Cybernetic model developed to predict Shewanella metabolic behavior

To further the quest to harness microbes for beneficial uses, scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Purdue University developed a promising computational tool for analyzing microbial flux distribution and metabolic engineering. They used the Lumped Hybrid Cybernetic Model (L-HCM), developed by Purdue researchers Dr. Hyun-Seob Song and Dr. Doraiswami Ramkrishna, to predict and simulate the metabolic dynamics of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 during aerobic growth in a bioreactor.

From: http://phys.org/news284882636.html

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, OMB Acting Director Jeffrey Zients, CEA Chairman Alan Krueger, NEC Director Gene Sperling, and Director of Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Muñoz on the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget, 4/10/13

By The White House


South Court Auditorium
Eisenhower Executive Office Building
12:43 P.M. EDT
MR. CARNEY: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being here. As you know, the President announced today from the Rose Garden that he has submitted — or is submitting his budget to Congress. And you heard him make the very important point that his number-one priority is what it has always been, which is economic growth and job creation that strengthens the middle class.

He also made the very important point that you can grow the economy and strengthen the middle class, and reduce our deficits in a responsible way. You can do both. That’s what he has been doing. As you know, he signed into law $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction, two-thirds of that coming from spending cuts. And the budget he presents today would further reduce the deficit over 10 years by more than $1.8 trillion.

I have with me today four members, top members of the President’s team to discuss the budget with you. I will begin with Jeff Zients, who is the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget. He will then introduce the other participants, and I will remain to field your questions after they make their presentations.

Thank you.

MR. ZIENTS: Thanks, Jay. And good afternoon, everybody. I’m going to do a quick overview of the major components of deficit reduction and the budget, and then I’m going to turn it to Alan to review the economic assumptions, and Gene and Cecilia to walk us through some of the investments and other policy highlights.

As Jay said, the main message of the President’s budget is that we can make critical investments that strengthen the middle class, create jobs, and grow the economy while continuing to reduce the deficit in a balanced way. We can do both balanced deficit reduction and jobs investments.

On the left hand side, in terms of balanced deficit reduction, the budget builds off the deficit reduction achieved to date, and it includes the President’s fiscal cliff compromise offer to Speaker Boehner from last December. Importantly, the budget replaces the indiscriminate cuts of the sequester with balanced deficit reduction. So it turns the sequester off.

At the same time, the President’s budget proposes important job investments to enhance economic growth through skills and competitiveness and in investments in education and R&D. All of these investments are fully paid for, so the investments do not add a dime to the deficit.

On deficit reduction, over the past couple of years, Democrats and Republicans have worked together to cut the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion. Here’s the breakdown of deficit reduction achieved to date: The Budget Control Act capped discretionary spending, saving over $1 trillion. Another $370 billion in savings through 2011 appropriations. The end of last year’s fiscal cliff agreement reduced the deficit by more than $600 billion.

Source: White House Press Office

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 4/9/2013

By The White House

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

11:52 A.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY: Welcome, everyone. Thanks for your patience. I have a couple of quick announcements. As you may have seen already, President Obama is announcing his intent to nominate three members of the National Labor Relations Board — Mark Gaston-Pearce to serve another term as member and to be designated chairman. And then, Harry I. Johnson, III and Philip Miscimarra both to be members of the NLRB.

These nominations — if all, including the two that we’ve nominated prior, are acted on by the Senate — would bring the NLRB up to full operating level, ensuring that it continues to function and fulfill its responsibilities to look after workers’ rights. This would be a bipartisan board. The two nominees, Harry Johnson and Philip Miscimarra, are Republican nominees and you would have a balanced, bipartisan board, and we urge the Senate to move on those nominations efficiently.

Separately, I’d also like to say that this afternoon the Senate will vote to confirm Judge Patty Shwartz to the Third Circuit. Judge Shwartz was reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 8, 2012, making her way to 397 days for what should be a bipartisan confirmation vote. After her expected confirmation, there will still be 14 other judicial nominees awaiting floor votes. Of these 14, 13 were approved by the Judiciary Committee unanimously, and five nominees would fill judicial emergencies. They have been waiting on the Senate floor for an average of 67 days for a vote. That’s nearly twice as long as President Bush’s judicial nominees. We urge the Senate to move on these nominees without further delay.

Julie.

Q Thank you. North Korea is urging all foreigners to evacuate South Korea, saying that the two countries are on the verge of a nuclear war. Does the U.S. take this latest threat seriously in any way? Or do you think that this is just more bluster?

MR. CARNEY: North Korea’s statement advising foreigners to make plans to evacuate Seoul is more unhelpful rhetoric that serves only to escalate tensions. This kind of rhetoric will only further isolate North Korea from the international community and we continue to urge the North Korean leadership to heed President Obama’s call to choose the path of peace and to come into compliance with its international obligations. We have seen this kind of bellicose rhetoric, these kinds of provocative statements consistently — obviously, in recent days and weeks — but also as part of a pattern of behavior that we’ve seen over the years from the North Korean leadership.

The end result of this kind of behavior has only been to further isolate North Korea from the rest of the world and to do harm to the North Korean …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 4/8/2013

By The White House

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

1:07 P.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY: Welcome. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for being here. I hate to startle to you with my relative punctuality — (laughter) — but I do have to — I have to leave at 1:45-ish, 1:50, so I want to go straight to your questions.

Julie.

Q Five Americans were killed in Afghanistan over the weekend, including a 25-year-old diplomat. Did that incident or any of the other recent violence we’ve seen in Afghanistan color the President’s decision-making as he’s looking to settle on a post-2014 force?

MR. CARNEY: Well, first of all, our thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost their lives, both military personnel as well as civil personnel, as well as to those who were wounded. What is absolutely the case is Afghanistan remains a very violent place. It is also true that we have made great strides in our efforts to train up the Afghanistan National Security Forces as they take increasing responsibility for the security in their country, and that process continues.

So, broadly, in answer to your question, the answer is no, that no specific incident is affecting a decision-making process in a policy that the President is convinced is the correct one and that he is engaged in with his national security team and military commanders.

Q General Dempsey said that the U.S. should wait until the summer or perhaps even later to make the decision on the post-2014 force. Is that the timeline that the President is operating on — summer or perhaps later?

MR. CARNEY: I don’t have any preview to give you of that process except that the President is committed to it as in keeping with the stated policy objectives he’s made in the past, as well as our coordination with our allies. But I have nothing further for you on that.

Q And then, just quickly, this is sort of a big week on a lot of different fronts — guns, immigration, the budget. How does the White House view this week in terms of the President’s second-term agenda? Do you see it as a pivotal week for him?

MR. CARNEY: I wouldn’t distinguish this particular week from ones that have led to it or that will come after it except to say that we have a lot of work to do on behalf of the American people. The President set forth in his State of the Union address and in his inaugural address a vision and a policy agenda that demonstrates his commitment in his second term to continue to build on the progress we made in the first.

When it comes to jobs and economic growth, that remains …read more

Source: White House Press Office

Scorpio's Fleet Grows Again

By Rich Smith, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

Scorpio Tankers‘ hunger for new ships just cannot be assuaged.

Barely a week after placing an order for six new tankers late last month, the company’s back in the market for more tankers — again. On Thursday, the Monaco-based oil shipper announced it is taking over the contracts for construction of four MR-class tankers that are currently being built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. Ltd. (HMD) for a third party. Scorpio will sign novation contracts with said customer, essentially “stepping into its shoes,” and becoming the contracting customer. Each of the STI Amber-class vessels will cost it $36.5 million when delivered — sometime between June and September 2013.

Scorpio’s also hiring two more shipbuilding contracts with HMD of its own, exercising options to buy two Handymax ice class-1A vessels. These will cost Scorpio $31.5 million apiece, inclusive of the cost of taking out fixed-price options on even more ships.

Finally, Scorpio has chartered-in three existing vessels for its fleet, a Handymax and two LR2 product tankers, for which it will pay day rates of between $12,600 and $16,250.

At present, Scorpio has a total of 39 tankers under contract to be built — 23 MRs, eight LR2s, and eight Handymaxes. Scorpio expects to have five of these ships in hand by September 2013, with the rest arriving before the end of 2014. When all’s said and done, the company expects to pay $1.3 billion for these ships now under contract.

The article Scorpio’s Fleet Grows Again originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Rich Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney Aboard Air Force One en route Denver, Colorado, 4/3/2013

By The White House

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Denver, Colorado
2:14 P.M. EDT
MR. CARNEY: Thanks for joining us today on our flight to Denver, where, as you know, the President will be meeting with law enforcement officials and others at the Denver Police Academy where he will discuss the need for Congress to act on common-sense measures to reduce the scourge of gun violence in America.
I think you can expect that he will note that the legislation he supports that has been moving through Congress represents real, sensible, middle-of-the-road attempts to address this problem; that nothing he supports would in any way violate the Second Amendment rights of the American people, the Second Amendment rights that the President strongly supports.
One provision that he supports — the effort to close loopholes in our background check system — is supported by over 90 percent of the American people, by vast majorities of Republicans and Democrats and independents, by a substantial majority of gun owners, and a substantial majority of members of the NRA.
He has made clear in his effort, his concerted effort, to move forward with these measures since the Newtown tragedy; that it is imperative the elected officials of the American people allow all of these measures to come to a vote — and, in his view, to vote for them — but at the very least, to allow them to come to a vote. Because if you disagree with 90 percent of the American people on background checks, you ought to vote no, and not oppose — not use parliamentary maneuvers to prevent a vote. That’s the President’s view.
In any case, he looks forward to this event. As you know, he will be going to Connecticut on Monday to continue this conversation.
Q When the President insists on these votes, particularly on assault weapons and the high-capacity magazines, is it because he thinks that there is a price to pay for voting no? And isn’t there just as well a price to pay by some members of Congress, some Democrats, for voting yes on those issues?
MR. CARNEY: Jim, there are definitely political issues involved in this. This has always been the case. But the President doesn’t look at this through a political lens. He’s not asking for a vote for political reasons, he’s asking for a vote because the victims of Newtown and of Aurora and Virginia Tech, and the countless lesser-known victims of gun violence across America deserve at least a vote. And the kids who were killed — the 20 children who were killed in Newtown, they weren’t Republicans or Democrats; they didn’t care, and their parents don’t care about the political implications of voting yes or no on these bills. They want things done that give other children more protection from this kind of violence, and that includes …read more
Source: White House Press Office

Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest Aboard Air Force One en route Miami, FL, 3/29/2013

By The White House

En Route Miami, Florida
10:55 A.M. EDT
MR. EARNEST: Bienvenidos aboard Air Force One as we make our way to Miami today. Typically, at the beginning of gaggles like this, I’ll have a little presentation to preview for you the remarks of the President and give you a sense of the argument and the case the President will be making. Rather than doing that myself today, I’ve actually brought along an expert, Alan Krueger, who is the President’s chief economist.
Prior to working at the White House, Alan worked at the Treasury Department, where he was instrumental in putting together some of the administrations’ proposals related to the infrastructure bank and to the Build America Bonds that have proven to be so popular and helpful in stimulating economic growth and creating jobs all across the country. So I want to give Alan the opportunity to give you a sense of the case the President will make today about the infrastructure proposals that the President will be laying out, and the impact it would have on the economy and creating jobs. Alan can then take your questions about the event, and then we’ll open it up to other questions you may have on other topics today.
All right. So, Alan, do you want to give us a little opener here?
MR. KRUEGER: Sure. So why don’t I say a few words at 30,000 feet about how infrastructure is the right thing to invest in in the economy right now.
The U.S. is underinvested in our infrastructure. If we invest more in infrastructure, we’ll be more competitive — businesses tell us that. Businesses tell us, and the President cites this in his speech, that if we improve our infrastructure, that will bring more jobs back home to the U.S. Other countries that we compete with economically have been investing quite heavily in infrastructure.
On top of that, now is a particularly good time to invest in our infrastructure. No industry was harder hit by the downturn than construction. Fully 20 percent of the jobs that were lost from the end of 2007 to the end of 2009 were in the construction sector. The unemployment rate for construction has come down, but it still remains over 15 percent. So we have resources that we could put back to work today to improve our competitiveness tomorrow. It makes a great deal of economic sense.
The President today in Miami is going to discuss three proposals to make smarter, more leveraged investments in our infrastructure. And this builds on his previous announcement for the Fix it First initiative, and a good deal of research suggests that maintaining our existing infrastructure has a very high payoff.
One area where we do a very poor job in terms of infrastructure, given the siloed nature in which we …read more
Source: White House Press Office

Press Briefing by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 03/27/2013

By The White House

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

12:39 P.M. EDT

MR. EARNEST: Two quick announcements at the top before we go to your questions. They’re both scheduling announcements, actually. The first is, at 3:00 p.m. today the President will host a swearing-in ceremony for the new director of the United States Secret Service, Julia Pierson. That will be in the Oval Office, and we’ve arranged for a pool to be there to witness it. So that should be pretty good.

The second thing is about tomorrow. Tomorrow, the President will hold an event here at the White House where he will stand with mothers who want Congress to take action on common-sense measures to protect children from gun violence. The event will take place in the East Room. And in addition to the mothers on stage with the President, there will be law enforcement officials, victims of gun violence, and other stakeholders. So that will be tomorrow. I don’t know the exact time, but we’ll have more on that on the guidance tonight. So, yes, here in the East Room in the White House.

With that, Julie, I’ll let you get us started.

Q Thank you. Just a couple things on DOMA. Did the President get any update from the Solicitor General following the oral arguments today? And was there anyone from the White House who was there to witness the arguments, like yesterday?

MR. EARNEST: It is my understanding that the President has been kept apprised of the arguments made at the Supreme Court on these issues, both through reading the coverage of you and your colleagues but also based on briefings that he’s gotten from his legal staff here at the White House.

It’s also my understanding that the White House officials who attended yesterday are the White House officials also attended today. So that was Valerie Jarrett, Kathy Ruemmler, the Counsel of the White House, and Kathleen Hartnett, who’s an associate counsel here at the White House.

Q There seemed to be, in sort of the initial reading of the justices’ questions, a sense that they were also questioning the constitutionality of DOMA. Did the President, in the short period of time that’s passed since it was wrapped up, have any reaction to the proceedings today?

MR. EARNEST: I haven’t heard from him about his reaction to the proceedings today. I know that going into the proceedings that he had full confidence in his team at the Justice Department and others who were responsible for preparing the arguments, and had total confidence in the people who were prepared to walk in there and deliver them. But in terms of his reaction for how it played out, I didn’t get one.

Q We’re seeing a little bit more from the President, at least publicly this week, on immigration reform — the interviews today, the event on Monday. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office

GE Healthcare Unveils New 1.5T MR Technology with Enhanced Performance

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

Filed under:

GE Healthcare Unveils New 1.5T MR Technology with Enhanced Performance

Now available for sale, Optima MR360 Advance and Brivo MR355 Inspire are designed to enhance performance and patient experience, all at a low total cost of ownership

WAUKESHA, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Two new 1.5T MR scanners from GE Healthcare, the Optima* MR360 Advance and Brivo* MR355 Inspire, have recently received 510(k) clearance. Redesigned with new enclosures symbolizing GE’s Humanizing MR strategy, both systems are engineered to address the demand for increased performance, and reduced total cost of ownership for the facility while providing a comfortable experience for the patient.

Optima MR360 Advance (Photo: Business Wire)

“Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the image quality, especially the quality of abdomen and pelvis images, which are excellent when compared to 3T,” said Tamotsu Nomura, Chief Technologist at Ishikawa Hospital in Osaka, Japan who owns the first Optima MR360 Advance in the country. Dr. Gloger of Verbundklinikum Landkreis Ansbach Klinik, Rothenburg, who owns the first system in Germany said, “After a smooth and fast installation, my radiographers learned very quickly how to scan, including those with minimal MR experience.”

The Optima MR360 Advance is designed to deliver a comfortable patient experience and advanced performance. This system offers a newly-designed Express suite of coils with 16 channel head and neck array, anterior array, and flex coils that enable faster workflow. Additionally, the Optima MR360 Advance is available with a portfolio of 18 new clinical applications including the Needle Free suite of applications that strives to improve patient experience by reducing the need for biopsy, contrast, and sedation. The Optima MR360 Advance also features the acclaimed OpTix RF, which offers analog to digital signal inside the scan room to minimize noise and signal degradation resulting in high-quality clinical images, but away from the patient to enhance patient safety.

The Brivo MR355 Inspire is designed to be an easy-to-use 1.5T MR system. This system also features OpTix RF as well as READY Interface, which streamlines workflow by offering simplified control of the scan parameters that may allow for greater consistency from technologist to technologist and ultimately from patient to patient. The Brivo MR355 Inspire system is engineered to combine the diagnostic benefits of high-performance MR technology with a low total cost of ownership.

Both the Optima MR360 and the Brivo MR355 are ecomagination ® certified and are engineered to drive low …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance