White House

President Obama is going to use his executive power as President to push for smart gun technology, in a last-ditch attempt to limit the use of traditional firearms, the White House announced on Friday.  Obama will tackle gun violence head-on in his final months at the White House amid fierce opposition from the NRA and other pro-firearms groups. Nytimes.com reports: But critics of smart gun technology, including some police officials, are expected to fight a proposal that they see as unproven and an unwarranted restriction on the freedom to use firearms.

The White House has been locked down amid fears a suspicious package was hurled over the fence. It is the second lock down in less than 24 hours when an intruder breached security at the north lawn of the presidential residence by leaping over the fence. President Obama is believed to be inside the White House. The Mirror reports: The security alert was activated after a package containing papers and a phone was thrown over the fence, according to CNN.

Over the past several weeks, the White House has been very vocal about its opposition to both the Bipartisan Bill that would allow families of Sept 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for its involvement in the WTC attack, as well as stonewalling when it comes to releasing the confidential "28 pages" that have been withheld from the Congressional inquiry report into 9/11 and which allegedly provide damning evidence about the the perpetrators of the worst terrorist attack on US soil.

Billionaire Warren Buffett gives a lot to charity, a generally admirable quality that probably redounds to the benefit of many. He has great investment savvy, something to admire in a different sort of way. But there are other, less savory things. For all his aw-shucks, midwestern manner, he manages to take advantage of everything in the tax code and the economic system that privilege can exploit while at the same time relentlessly promoting himself as a champion of everyday people, a fighter for equality, and a man who despises the sorts of advantages that he has nonetheless leveraged.

The closed-door meeting between Obama, Biden and Yellen has concluded, and moments ago the White House released the following statement: