Obama Gives Final Press Conference of Presidency and More in Politics Today
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It’s difficult to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in this country and to break through the clutter, so we’re here to make it easier. Here’s what we at Countable are reading today:
1. "Obama: Reports of voter fraud are ‘fake news’"
"President Obama on Wednesday talked about the importance of voting rights, dismissing the idea of large-scale voter fraud as “fake news." “This whole notion of voting fraud — this is something that has constantly been disproved,” Obama said during the final press conference of his presidency. “This is fake news — the notion that there are a whole bunch of people out there who are going out there and are not eligible to vote and want to vote.””
"Instead, Obama said, the country has the opposite problem: There are a lot of people in the country who are eligible to vote but don't cast their ballots. Obama said the U.S. is the only country in the advanced world that makes it harder to vote rather than easier. “And that dates back, there's an ugly history to that that we should not be shy about talking about," he said.”
Read more at The Hill.
2. "Trump Entering White House Unbent and Unpopular"
"Donald Trump will take office on Friday with less popular support than any new president in modern times, according to an array of surveys, a sign that he has failed to rally Americans behind him, beyond the base that helped him win in November. Rather than a unifying moment, his transition to power has seen a continuation of the polarization of the election last year."
"Two polls out on Tuesday — one by CNN and ORC and another by The Washington Post and ABC News — found that just 40 percent of Americans approved of Mr. Trump’s performance heading into the inauguration on Friday. NBC News and The Wall Street Journal put his approval rating at 44 percent, calling it the lowest rating ever for an incoming president."
*Read more at the New York Times. *
3. "George H.W. Bush in ICU, Barbara Bush also hospitalized"
"Former president George H.W. Bush is in the intensive care unit for "an acute respiratory problem stemming from pneumonia," a family spokesman said Thursday. Former first lady Barbara Bush is also in Houston Methodist Hospital "as a precaution after experiencing fatigue and coughing," spokesman Jim McGrath said."
"The former president, age 92, went into the hospital over the weekend for shortness of breath.
"Doctors performed a procedure to protect and clear his airway that required sedation," McGrath said. “President Bush is stable and resting comfortably in the ICU, where he will remain for observation.” Neither of the Bushes will be able to attend Friday's inauguration of Donald Trump.”
Read more at USA Today.
4. "Congress demands details of secret CDC lab incidents"
"The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to recommend President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense, retired Marine General James Mattis."
"The committee voted 26-1 to back Mattis' nomination when it is received by the full Senate from Trump after he is sworn in as president. As a result, Mattis' nomination will be sent directly to the Senate for a vote without referral to the committee. Congress cleared the way for Mattis' quick confirmation last week by backing a waiver that would allow him to lead the Pentagon despite retiring from active duty as a Marine general only in 2013."
Read more at Reuters.
5. "U.S. gives $500m to UN climate change fund"
"The US government has given half a billion dollars to the UN's Green Climate Fund, just three days before Donald Trump takes office. Barack Obama's outgoing administration announced the contribution of $500m (£406m; €468m) on Tuesday, bringing the total funds to date to $1bn.
Mr Obama pledged in 2014 to give $3bn to help tackle the effects of climate change in the poorest countries."
"Mr Trump has previously called global warming a hoax. The president-elect has also threatened to pull the US out of the Paris accord - a global agreement on curbing greenhouse gas emissions - and America's commitment to the fund. Mr Trump could decide to withhold the rest of the fund."
Read more at the BBC.
— Erin Wright
(Photo Credit: Amanda Lucidon.jpg) / Creative Commons)
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