Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–June 9, 2011.   President Obama and President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria met at the White House on Wednesday, June 8 and reaffirmed the strong bilateral partnership between the two countries.  The President personally congratulated President Jonathan on the success of Nigeria’s recent elections, which deepened the foundation for[Read More…]

  WASHINGTON, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–June 9, 2011.  The White House today announced the establishment of the first White House Rural Council.  While rural communities face challenges, they also present economic potential.  To address these challenges, build on the Administration’s rural economic strategy, and improve the implementation of that strategy, the President signed[Read More…]

WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–June 9, 2011.  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the May edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard. New to this month’s report are detailed assessments for the 10 largest mortgage servicers participating in the Administration’s Making Home[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–June 9, 2011.   SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending June 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 427,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 426,000. The 4-week moving average was 424,000, a decrease of 2,750 from the previous week’s[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–June 8, 2011 Index for Today’s Briefing DEPARTMENT UN High Level Meeting on AIDS/President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) SYRIA U.S. Supports Pursuing UN Security Council Resolution/Escalation in Violence/Targeting of Civilians/Violence Must End/Must Address Aspirations of Syrian People/Important Moment in History/U.S. Trying to Build Pressure, International Community Support[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–June 8, 2011 – 1:34 P.M. EDT      MR. CARNEY:  Hello, everybody.  Welcome.  I’d like to begin, if I may, with a readout of President Obama’s video teleconference with President Karzai of Afghanistan.      President Obama spoke with President Karzai this morning via video teleconference.  The two leaders spoke for approximately[Read More…]

Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—June 8, 2011 Update as of 3 p.m. EDT Radioactive Debris, Water Slow Work at Fukushima Plant Status Highly radioactive debris and water continue to hamper recovery efforts at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy facility. TEPCO had removed about 280 containers of radioactive debris by Tuesday,[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–June 7, 2011.   The President met today and had a productive discussion with His Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain, following the Crown Prince’s meeting with National Security Advisor Tom Donilon.  The President reaffirmed the strong commitment of the United States to Bahrain. He[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–June 7, 2011.   Index for Today’s Briefing DEPARTMENT Secretary Clinton Attended the President’s Meetings with German Chancellor Merkel / Bilateral Meeting with Foreign Minister Westerwelle Secretary Clinton’s Meeting with Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa of Bahrain Reports of Violent Clashes in Southern Kordofan State in Sudan YEMEN[Read More…]

NEW YORK–(ENEWSPF)–7 June 2011.  Citing dwindling stocks and only small production increases for the majority of crops, a new United Nations report released today says world food prices are likely to remain high for the rest of this year and into 2012. The biannual Food Outlook published by the UN Food[Read More…]