Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 8, 2011.  Index for Today’s Briefing RUSSIA Prime Minister Putin’s Comments on Secretary Clinton / Elections Missile Defense IRAN Drone / Reports of Swiss Ambassador Called in to Foreign Ministry Virtual Embassy Tehran IRAQ Transition / U.S. Diplomatic Presence / Contractors Visit of Prime Minister Maliki to the[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 8, 2011 – 12:07 P.M. EST MR. CARNEY:  Okay.  I will engage in what I trust will be a brief briefing.  I don’t have any announcements.  I think we put out the trip next week, correct?  To Fort Bragg.  And the President looks forward to that visit, even[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 8, 2011 – 11:40 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.  A couple of days ago I said that we are in a make-or-break moment when it comes to America’s middle class.  We either have a country where everybody fends for themselves, or we create a country where[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 8, 2011. Today, the White House announced administrative and private sector actions that will help entrepreneurs grow their businesses and create jobs by increasing their access to capital and resources. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is moving forward with launching a $1 billion Early Stage Innovation Fund,[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 8, 2011.  SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending December 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 381,000, a decrease of 23,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 404,000. The 4-week moving average was 393,250, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week’s revised[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 7, 2011 – 3:16 P.M. EST PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good afternoon, everybody.  Please be seated. I am very pleased to welcome my friend and partner, Prime Minister Harper, back to the White House.  Whenever we get together it’s a chance to reaffirm the enduring alliance between our nations, the[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 7, 2011.  We condemn the Iranian government’s efforts to deny their people the freedom to access America’s recently launched Virtual Embassy Tehran.  Through this action, the Iranian government has once again demonstrated its commitment to build an electronic curtain of surveillance and censorship around its people. The Iranian[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 7, 2011.  Index for Today’s Briefing IRAN Virtual Embassy / Site Compromised / Both English and Persian Sites Blocked / Private Networks / Offering Information about the United States / Visas / Effort to Engage Iranians / Looking at Ways to Track Via VPN Usage SYRIA Asad’s ABC[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 7, 2011.  Contaminated Water Leaks Into Ocean Near Fukushima Industry/Regulatory/Political Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy facility, said about 40 gallons of water containing radioactive strontium drained into the ocean following a leak in desalination equipment. TEPCO said it is likely to have[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 7, 2011 – 10:31 A.M. EST MR. CARNEY:  Good morning, everybody.  Thanks for coming to this gaggle.  I’m pleased to be joined today by Neal Wolin, the Deputy Treasury Secretary, to discuss the need to get Richard Cordray, our nominee to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, confirmed[Read More…]