Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–February 7, 2014. SECRETARY KERRY: I’m really delighted to welcome my friend, Foreign Minister Kishida, back to the State Department this afternoon and to return the favor after Fumio hosted Secretary Hagel and me last October in Tokyo when we had our meetings of Defense and State Department jointly[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–February 7, 2014.  The U.S. Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to Somalia. This replaces the Travel Warning dated June 21, 2013, to update information on security concerns. There is at this time no U.S. Embassy or other formal U.S. diplomatic presence in[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–February 7, 2014. The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens planning to attend the 2014 Olympic Games in Russia that they should remain attentive regarding their personal security at all times.  The Olympic and Paralympic Games will take place in Sochi, Russia, from February 7 to March 16, 2014. [Read More…]

Calls for Extradition of Russian Data Thieves WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–February 7, 2014.  In light of recent data breeches at major U.S. retailers, U.S. Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Mike Crapo (R–Idaho), and Mike Johanns (R–Neb.) sent the following letter to President Obama today to request discussion of extradition agreements with[Read More…]

East Lansing, Michigan–(ENEWSPF)–February 7, 2014 – 2:16 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Spartans!  (Applause.)  Go, Green!  AUDIENCE:  Go, White!  THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much.  Everybody have a seat here.  It’s good to be at Michigan State.  Thank you, Ben, for that wonderful introduction.  Give Ben a big round of[Read More…]

WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–February 7, 2014.  U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the January 2014 Employment Situation report released today: “The U.S. economy’s recovery continued in the first month of 2014 — 142,000 new jobs created in the private sector and 113,000 overall. January was the 47th[Read More…]

Bureau Unveils Easy-to-Use, Online Tool that Tracks Public Mortgage Data WASHINGTON, D.C.—(ENEWSPF)—February 7, 2014. Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is taking steps to improve information reported about the residential mortgage market to help better understand borrowers’ access to credit. As a first step in the rulemaking process, the[Read More…]

Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—February 7, 2014. Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 113,000 in January, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 6.6 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment grew in construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, and mining. Household Survey Data Both the number of unemployed persons, at[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–February 6, 2014 – 12:20 P.M. EST MR. CARNEY:  Good afternoon.  Life is full of transitions, changes for everyone.  One happens tomorrow when Jamie Smith has her last day with us, and we are going to be extremely sad to see her go.  This is her last briefing with[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–February 6, 2014. Index for Today’s Briefing DEPARTMENT Limited Evacuation of HST Building SYRIA Deal Reached Between Opposition Forces / Humanitarian Assistance UKRAINE Assistant Secretary Nuland’s and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Pyatt’s Telephone Conversation on YouTube SYRIA UN Managing the Delivery of Humanitarian Assistance RUSSIA UNSCR / Russian Ambassador[Read More…]