Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–October 8, 2013.  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today announced the appointment of Paul M. Lewis to the position of Special Envoy for Guantanamo closure. This announcement reflects the Department’s commitment to implementing the President’s directive to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Special Envoy Lewis brings a wealth[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–October 7, 2013 – 1:22 P.M. EDT MR. CARNEY:  Good afternoon on this very rainy Monday.  Thanks for being here.  I trust that you heard the President speak at FEMA, where he talked about the hard work done at that agency on behalf of the American people, the hard[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–October 7, 2013.  Late Friday night, U.S. military personnel conducted a targeted operation against Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir, known as “Ikrima”, a Kenyan of Somali origin. Ikrima is a top commander in the terrorist group al-Shabaab, an al-Qa’ida affiliate. Ikrima is closely associated with now-deceased al-Qa’ida operatives Harun Fazul and[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–October 7, 2013. Index for Today’s Briefing DEPARTMENT Government Shutdown / Employee Furlough Numbers SYRIA Secretary Kerry’s Comments / Assad Regime and Legitimacy Engagement by Ambassador Ford / Read-out Chemical Weapons / OPCW / Destruction Geneva 2 / Iran’s Participation RUSSIA P5+1 Talks / Missile Defense / Iran IRAN[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–October 7, 2013 – 12:30 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  I’m here at FEMA for a couple of reasons.  First of all, I want to thank Craig Fugate and his entire team, and the incredible workers who are here at FEMA.  They are having to, under less than optimal situations,[Read More…]

Groups Join de Blasio and Quinn in Submitting Legal Filings to Appeals Court Opposing Delay to Reforms as Detrimental to City New York—(ENEWPSF)—October 7, 2013. Today, ­­­ the coalition Communities United for Police Reform and representatives from community, faith, labor, and law enforcement groups joined City officials, attorneys from the[Read More…]

Bali, Indonesia–(ENEWSPF)–October 7, 2013. Thank you, Wishnu, very, very much. It’s a great pleasure for me to be here, and an honor to be able to address you. And on behalf of President Obama, I want to thank our hosts in Indonesia for an absolutely, extraordinary generous hospitality, and I[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–October 6, 2013.  Over the weekend, U.S. military personnel conducted targeted operations in Libya and Somalia to bring international terrorists to justice. I want to commend all of the service members who were involved in the planning and execution of these two operations, which demonstrate the unparalleled precision, global[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–October 6, 2013.  On Oct.5, the Department of Defense, acting under military authorities, conducted an operation to apprehend longtime Al Qaeda member Abu Anas al Libi in Libya. He is currently lawfully detained under the law of war in a secure location outside of Libya. Wherever possible, our first[Read More…]

Washington, D.C.-(ENEWSPF)- From October 1, 2013, made available at 12:01 a.m. on that date, the President of the United States speaks to the troops and members of the Department of Defense regarding the GOP government shutdown.