"Not so fast," say Republicans | there are rules

McConnell

OBAMA MOVES TO WITHDRAW MERRICK GARLAND SUPREME COURT NOMINATION

"NOT SO FAST" SAY REPUBLICAN SENATE LEADERS

(Washington, D.C)

In an unexpected move, President Barack Obama moved to withdraw his nomination to the Supreme Court of Judge Merrick Garland. The move apparently took Republican Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, by surprise. McConnell issued a tersely worded statement, promising to get to the bottom of whether a president in the last year of his term has the authority to withdraw the nomination of a, "highly qualified jurist who is universally applauded for the evenness of his rulings and the steadiness of his judicial temperament." Reached for comment, a White House spokesman said, "While Senator McConnell is entitled to his opinion, the President does not believe he is entitled interrupt the orderly proceedings of two of our three branches of government." Vice President Joe Biden, who serves as President of the Senate by virtue of his office, said, "I think Mitch should push, or pull, or go back to his day job in Kentucky."

read it yourself | US + Russian agreement on Syria

U.S. Department of State
Framework for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

September 14, 2013

Taking into account the decision of the Syrian Arab Republic to accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the commitment of the Syrian authorities to provisionally apply the Convention prior to its entry into force, the United States and the Russian Federation express their joint determination to ensure the destruction of the Syrian chemical weapons program (CW) in the soonest and safest manner.

For this purpose, the United States and the Russian Federation have committed to prepare and submit in the next few days to the Executive Council of the OPCW a draft decision setting down special procedures for expeditious destruction of the Syrian chemical weapons program and stringent verification thereof. The principles on which this decision should be based, in the view of both sides, are set forth in Annex A. The United States and the Russian Federation believe that these extraordinary procedures are necessitated by the prior use of these weapons in Syria and the volatility of the Syrian civil war.

The United States and the Russian Federation commit to work together towards prompt adoption of a UN Security Council resolution that reinforces the decision of the OPCW Executive Council. This resolution will also contain steps to ensure its verification and effective implementation and will request that the UN Secretary-General, in consultation with the OPCW, submit recommendations to the UN Security Council on an expedited basis regarding the UN’s role in eliminating the Syrian chemical weapons program.

what the president actually said about Trayvon Martin | read the transcript for yourself

[You can watch the entire video uninterrupted by pundits here, or read the official transcript below]

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

July 19, 2013

Remarks by the President on Trayvon Martin

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

1:33 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  I wanted to come out here, first of all, to tell you that Jay is prepared for all your questions and is very much looking forward to the session.  The second thing is I want to let you know that over the next couple of weeks, there’s going to obviously be a whole range of issues -- immigration, economics, et cetera -- we'll try to arrange a fuller press conference to address your questions.

The reason I actually wanted to come out today is not to take questions, but to speak to an issue that obviously has gotten a lot of attention over the course of the last week -- the issue of the Trayvon Martin ruling.  I gave a preliminary statement right after the ruling on Sunday.  But watching the debate over the course of the last week, I thought it might be useful for me to expand on my thoughts a little bit.

First of all, I want to make sure that, once again, I send my thoughts and prayers, as well as Michelle’s, to the family of Trayvon Martin, and to remark on the incredible grace and dignity with which they’ve dealt with the entire situation.  I can only imagine what they’re going through, and it’s remarkable how they’ve handled it.