President Barack Obama meets with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Thomas Brandon, and FBI Director James Comey to discuss what executive actions he can take to curb gun violence
Bloomberg reports that the Feds have indicted Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli on fraud charges.
Surely you remember Martin, no? He founded Turing, bought the rights to a drug used to treat AIDS patients, and proceeded to raise the price from $13 a pill to $750 a pill, thus earning him the title to “the most hated man in America”. Even Donald Trump said he was a “spoiled brat”.
Shkreli promised to reduce the drug price cost after receiving a torrent of abuse, but then reneged on that promise. And just this week, in what can only be described as a “fuck you” to the world, he bought the only copy of a Wu-Tang Clan album for $2 million. Because when you’re a sociopath, you do things like that.
As the Bloomberg article points out, when he was again prodded to reduce the drug’s price, his response was a tweet which merely said “lol”. He also said if he had to do it over again, the would have raised the price even more, as his investors expected him to “maximize profits.”
"Today, I will sign the Clay Hunt [Suicide Prevention for American Veterans] Act into law." —President Obama #HonoringVets
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 12, 2025
"To anyone out there who’s hurting—it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help. It’s a sign of strength." —President Obama #HonoringVets
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 12, 2025
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I don't break easily and I'm really broken after watching this: Suzanne Barakat talking about #ChapelHillShooting: youtu.be/2rVLYyfn8XY
— Hameed (@SheikhThingsUp) February 12, 2025
Quote of the day comes from CJ Werleman on the media’s reaction to the Chapel Hill Shootings #ChapelHillShooting http://t.co/xURgG9CXn4
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) February 12, 2025
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"I’m proud to welcome him back as our next Secretary of Defense." —Obama on Senate confirmation of Ash Carter http://t.co/qf4vhdj2wq
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 12, 2025
Congrats to Philadelphia and Mayor Nutter for expanding paid sick leave.
Now it's time for Congress to #LeadOnLeave. http://t.co/TCbW90OVt2
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 12, 2025
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President Obama wants YOU to #GetCovered by February 15: HealthCare.gov
Watch → on.fb.me/1FD9xRd http://t.co/Ws1rTHRDC6
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 12, 2025
"YOLO man!"
Find out why President Obama has a selfie stick—and #GetCovered by February 15: on.fb.me/1FD9xRd http://t.co/VqzhrcrA7I
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 12, 2025
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Things everybody does but doesn’t talk about, featuring President Obama bzfd.it/16Yt8ie http://t.co/6nYMfeKDXv
— (@BuzzFeed) February 12, 2025
Can't dunk your cookie?
At least you can #GetCovered: HealthCare.gov on.fb.me/1FD9xRd #ThanksObama http://t.co/Wh82V4NR1t
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 12, 2025
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In Iowa, Biden says continuing Obama policies not a 3rd term: "I call it sticking with what worked." http://t.co/fuIMQJ3idX
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) February 12, 2025
Biden also sees the explosion of money in politics as the greatest risk to the middle class. "Take money out of the equation," he urges.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) February 12, 2025
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Surprise: Oil & gas industry gave $250,000 to each of 62 senators who voted for Keystone XL
ibtimes.com/keystone-xl-pi… http://t.co/iJXelm4z9V
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) February 12, 2025
BREAKING: Mayor Nutter signs #phlsickdays bill into law, making Philadelphia the 17th city to pass #paidsickdays. http://t.co/YMhcohp7Mn
— Working America (@WorkingAmerica) February 12, 2025
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White House stands by boys on embattled Little League team: on.msnbc.com/1vGFMP2 (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP) http://t.co/Y0bHsMlmGu
— (@msnbc) February 12, 2025
Guy who snitched on Jackie Robinson West?
Turns out his team used ineligible players too...
abc7chicago.com/sports/chicago… http://t.co/XmXONAzE0c
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) February 12, 2025
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Quite the speech on race and law enforcement by the FBI director today washingtonpost.com/world/national… http://t.co/bEXXb6sqR2
— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) February 12, 2025
"It’s ridiculous that I can’t tell you how many people have been shot by the police” FBI director to college student washingtonpost.com/world/national…
— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) February 12, 2025
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These are 3 of 4 teams that Little League has ever stripped of their titles. The 4th was a team from the Philippines. http://t.co/ecHkOP7qBG
— Awesomely Luvvie (@Luvvie) February 12, 2025
Gentrification Is the Real Scandal Surrounding Jackie Robinson West zite.to/1vGLaBL
— Zulu Yama Gumbo (@bromoore) February 12, 2025
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Pakistan is facing a major water crisis nyti.ms/1zyCYOJ http://t.co/dlhaB1GJJl
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 12, 2025
China offers to mediate in stalled efforts to engage the Afghan Taliban in peace negotiations yhoo.it/1DJBesg
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) February 12, 2025
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Man visiting family from India left temporarily paralyzed after police encounter on.thegrio.com/1KOywnA
— theGrio.com (@theGrio) February 12, 2025
FBI director speaks candidly about the problem of racial bias in law enforcement huff.to/1yroeAY http://t.co/BsbtixUnRY
— Jeffrey Levin (@jilevin) February 12, 2025
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Listen to one of the victims of the #ChapelHillShooting explain her love for America vox.com/2015/2/12/8026… http://t.co/mbNndvpuqn
— The Dream Defenders (@Dreamdefenders) February 12, 2025
#MuslimLivesMatter but not for @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews #ChapelHillShooting @al_tagreer http://t.co/TC5QDt50nq
— Carlos Latuff (@LatuffCartoons) February 11, 2025
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Here Are The Three Victims Of The #ChapelHillShooting buzzfeed.com/rossalynwarren… http://t.co/Sz2ynVWbNg
— (@Lnonblonde) February 12, 2025
I witnessed what I believe could be the largest Muslim funeral prayer in US Muslim history. #ChapelHillShooting
http://t.co/lYJTwJPREH
— Nihad Awad نهاد عوض (@NihadAwad) February 12, 2025
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Rand Paul thinks companies could benefit by launching their own currencies. bloomberg.com/politics/artic… http://t.co/2bElWF8QRN
— Joseph Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) February 12, 2025
Boehner needs to follow own advice on DHS funding. wapo.st/1uKoeRg
— Jonathan Capehart (@CapehartJ) February 12, 2025
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Paris votes to sue Fox News for erroneous "no-go zone" coverage bit.ly/1J380Jx
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) February 12, 2025
Ruth Bader Ginsburg on marriage equality: "The rest of us recognized they are one of us" trib.al/LDgY4E2
— (@GuardianUS) February 12, 2025
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#ChapelHillShooting victim hoped 2raise $20,000 for #Syrian refugees.Since his death,project received almost $250,000 http://t.co/5rostMuvcK
— Asma (@LibyanBentBladi) February 12, 2025
#ChapelHillShooting victim Deah Barakat fundraised for Syrian refugees & helped the homeless huff.to/1zOeaXL http://t.co/ty7hORhVaB
— HuffPost UK (@HuffPostUK) February 12, 2025
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California boy who beat leukemia urges near-universal measles jabs reut.rs/1FDwq6X
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) February 12, 2025
One thing we are most certain of, the #measles vaccine is safe and very effective. Read more: 1.usa.gov/1J1ABPo http://t.co/XtuChrVqYu
— HHS.gov (@HHSGov) February 12, 2025
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BREAKING: Residents say an explosion kills many at a crowded market in Biu town in northeast Nigeria.
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 12, 2025
After retrieving a laptop in a strike on a Qaeda leader, American & Afghan forces increased night raids on militants nyti.ms/1B2TjBX
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 12, 2025
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See you soon, Philadelphia! #DNC16 http://t.co/xBeJhYMWFX
— The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) February 12, 2025
Democrats are holding their 2016 convention in the city where they first rejected Jim Crow bit.ly/1yq4BJG http://t.co/rxhgY7LcDq
— Vox (@voxdotcom) February 12, 2025
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ICYMI: Officer Did Nothing for 4 Minutes After Fatally Shooting Akai Gurley: DA dnainfo.com/new-york/20150… http://t.co/G2TyA9vxSf
— Danielle Tcholakian (@danielleiat) February 12, 2025
FBI Director James Comey dives into the debate over race and criminal justice cbsn.ws/1E4tnnb http://t.co/4zhDRPSaNX
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) February 12, 2025
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Australia's jaw dropped after its Prime Minister compared the job market to the holocaust read.bi/1J1ZeeM http://t.co/sX6x7J4FjI
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) February 12, 2025
.@Madeleine Albright says Bibi might have enough on his plate without U.S. speech: ow.ly/IWw1h http://t.co/aoZByhOALb
— The Hill (@thehill) February 12, 2025
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Russian President Vladimir Putin announces ceasefire for eastern Ukraine to start on 15 February bbc.in/1E3shIz
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) February 12, 2025
#Russia/#Ukraine peace deal includes ceasefire effective starting from on Sunday yhoo.it/1J0DvEb http://t.co/x1jbs68vBe
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) February 12, 2025
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Egypt court orders release of Al Jazeera staff ahead of next hearing alj.am/1FC9u8h http://t.co/qGDnVxYArq
— Al Jazeera America (@ajam) February 12, 2025
Myanmar marks unity day, but peace remains elusive bit.ly/1CiPLcz #AFP #video
— AFP TV [english] (@AFPTV_en) February 12, 2025
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Meet Lewis Latimer, the African American who enlightened Thomas Edison, by @brentinmock buff.ly/1zx27tb http://t.co/lnkHQo6jnl
— (@grist) February 12, 2025
Ursula Burns, CEO @XeroxCorp, first African American woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company. #BlackHistoryMonth #BHM2015 http://t.co/AXNsKWHft8
— Black History Heroes (@HistoryHeroes) February 11, 2025
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this is still very relevant #ChapelHillShooting http://t.co/0tYwu2SkqC
— anna (@AnnaLovato) February 12, 2025
Photo: Right in front of me in “Liberal” Southern, Cali. SMH. To think, this dude gets to drive around,... tmblr.co/Z6-j2x1d8ZOnW
— Reagan Gomez (@ReaganGomez) February 11, 2025
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Here’s Brian Williams moderating a Democratic primary debate: mediamatters.org/research/2007/… http://t.co/DNWnGv4AKW
— Jamison Foser (@jamisonfoser) February 11, 2025
An $850M #solar deal. The dirty stuff is dying, the clean stuff is booming. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
— Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) February 11, 2025
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A picture is worth a thousand words #ChapelHillShooting http://t.co/rhTosQLu8S
— Rami Ak (@Rami__Ak) February 12, 2025
Demo held in Gaza over Muslim students' murder in US bit.ly/1At2hHz via @PressTV #ChapelHillShooting http://t.co/rH5hDwmUA6
On This Day: Sen. Obama and his vice presidential running mate Sen. Biden at a rally in Sunrise, Fla., Oct. 29, 2008
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Today (All Times Eastern):
11:45: President Obama meets with CEOs on Cybersecurity Framework
12:30: Jay Carney briefs the press
3:0: President Obama delivers remarks at a memorial service for former Speaker Tom Foley
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Note: The interviewer is a jack a**
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USA Today: It’s A Day Of Security And Remembrance For President Obama
On Tuesday morning, Obama meets with a group of CEOs to talk about a new kind of national security challenge: Cybersecurity….
In the afternoon, Obama travels to Capitol Hill to attend a memorial service for the late House Speaker Tom Foley, who passed away last week.
In addition, Obama has meetings today with Vice President Biden and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
More here
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A Must Read
This piece by @igorvolsky eviscerates @nbcnightlynews ‘s misleading story on healthcare http://t.co/qSJZ57drHY
— Dan Pfeiffer (@pfeiffer44) October 29, 2025
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NBC “scoop” cites “normal turnover in the indiv insurance market”. That’s a) not new b) not caused by #ACA c) the problem #ACA will solve.
— Josh Earnest (@jearnest44) October 28, 2025
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Detroit Free Press: Auto Sales Forecast: Buyers Back After Government Shutdown
With four days left in the month, auto dealers apparently can let out a few sighs of relief.
Auto buyers seemed to have shrugged off the government shutdown and gone back to helping to make 2013 a banner year for the auto industry, two forecasts of October auto sales suggest.
Kelley Blue Book predicts an 8% rise in auto sales in October compared to the same month last year. Edmunds.com is even more optimistic, predicting an increase of 12.7% over the same period.
More here
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Wow. I guess they really pulled it. NBC Obamacare story now no longer on their front page: pic.twitter.com/j3179iDTNO
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) October 29, 2025
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NBC News simply pulled their entire story. No explanation, no editor’s note, no correction, nada. Incredible.
— Stefan Becket (@stefanjbecket) October 29, 2025
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Sun Times: Durbin “Stand Your Ground” Hearing Tuesday: Trayvon Martin’s Mother To Testify
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) will chair a hearing Tuesday on the controversial “stand your ground” laws that played a role in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman. Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, will be testifying.
Durbin is holding the hearing in his role as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights. The hearing was originally scheduled for September…..
More here
The 10 a.m. ET hearing will be shown live on C-Span
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Hard to imagine a scenario where pulling the story would be justified, but, regardless, doing so without explanation is a huge no-no.
— Stefan Becket (@stefanjbecket) October 29, 2025
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So @NBCInvestigates says it had a “problem” with the story, doesn’t note or update that paragraph previously reported was cut.
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) October 29, 2025
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Syracuse.com: Obama To Campaign For Terry McAuliffe
President Barack Obama plans to campaign for Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Terry McAuliffe, on Sunday.
A spokesman for McAuliffe’s campaign said Obama will join McAuliffe at a rally in northern Virginia. No additional details were available.
Polls show McAuliffe, a native of Syracuse, is ahead of Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia race, one of two gubernatorial contests being held this year…
More here
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NBC’s reposted story cut two paragraphs and added one. (http://t.co/8dWTmNkUA2) pic.twitter.com/OP1GutsrKl
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) October 29, 2025
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TIME: Password-Reset Security Glitch Fixed On Healthcare.gov
A security flaw in the original design of HealthCare.gov that could have disclosed e-mail and other account information to hackers was eliminated Monday during an overnight fix, a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services spokesman has told TIME.
“We are eliminating this theoretical vulnerability by preventing users from seeing the specific reset functionality when trying to reset their password,” said Brian Cook, who works for the agency that oversees the troubled website portal for federal health-insurance exchanges. There is no public evidence that these design flaws were ever exploited to compromise user accounts.
More here
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FACT: Thanks to #Obamacare, insurance companies can’t put annual limits on benefits or drop people’s coverage when they get sick.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 29, 2025
FACT: 43% of people with individual market insurance have a pre-existing condition & can no longer be denied coverage thanks to #Obamacare.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 28, 2025
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USA Today: Insurance For The Young Could Be Less Than $50 A Month
Almost half of young, single, uninsured adults in 34 states could pay $50 or less a month for insurance through the online exchanges after receiving subsidies, according to a study released by the Department of Health and Human Services Monday. The HHS study said there are 7.2 million uninsured Americans 18 to 34 in single-person households in the 34 states. Of that total, there are 2.9 million who are eligible to buy insurance on either federal or state partnership insurance marketplaces.
Of those 2.9 million young people, HHS found that 1.3 million, or 46%, could pay less than $50 a month for a bronze plan. The exchanges offer coverage from the bronze to platinum level. Bronze is the cheapest. About 1.9 million of uninsured young people in those 34 states, the study showed, could pay $100 a month or less for health insurance with the tax credits.
More here
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Glenn Greenwald in '05: 'U.S. should pursue whatever measures it deems appropriate to protect its national interests' http://t.co/w3015DYCPn
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) October 28, 2025
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20 Committee: Merkel’s “Real” Cellphone Is Secure
As Germany’s “Handygate” has become a mass phenomenon bordering on hysteria, one of the strangest aspects has been the fact, which I’ve noted previously, that Chancellor Angela Merkel was using a quite insecure cellphone to conduct government business. According to numerous media reports, the cellphone in question, said to have been intercepted by NSA for years, was used by Merkel for political party affairs, and was supposed to be used only to the classification level of VS-NfD, which is roughly equivalent to the U.S. category of For Official Use Only (FOUO), in other words, not actually classified at all.
Except the actual story is coming into focus now and it’s a rather different one than what Berlin’s been complaining so loudly about. While Merkel has indeed had a quite vulnerable cellphone, her “real”Chancellor-Phone, as the Germans call it, is quite secure from interception.
More here
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New version of NBC's Obamacare story is missing this paragraph investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/… http://t.co/oaR94fPFb6
— Jon Passantino (@passantino) October 29, 2025
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Bloomberg: Obama Tells FBI Leaders He’ll Press Congress To Lift Budget Cuts
President Barack Obama said he will keep pressing Congress to lift across-the-board budget cuts to ease the limits they have placed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other critical agencies.
At the formal installation ceremony for James Comey as the seventh director of the FBI, Obama said resources for the agency have been trimmed by the automatic cuts known as sequestration even as the the FBI’s mission has been expanding to confront the threat of terrorism.
A congressional committee will meet this week to come up with a plan for taxes and spending to replace the automatic spending cuts approved in 2011. Comey said in a speech in Philadelphia last week that the budget limits mean that as many as 3,500 positions will be cut and agents will be furloughed, radio station KYW reported.
More here
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President Obama talks on the phone with Israel PM Netanyahu, in the Oval Office, Oct. 28, 2013 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Rollling Stone, November 2012 (Photo released Oct 29, 2025)
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Oct. 29, 2009 - Pete Souza: “This photo was taken about 4AM after the President made an unannounced trip to Dover Air Force Base to pay respects to fallen troops coming back from Afghanistan. After meeting privately with the families, the President walked alone up the ramp of the cargo plane carrying the 18 caskets, all draped in American flags. I could see the emotion on his face as he walked from casket to casket, leaving a Presidential coin on each. When he was done, he paused for a few minutes, head bowed in prayer. I heard him tell others later how that was the most difficult moment of his Presidency thus far. Out of respect for the families, not all of who wanted their ceremony photographed, we can’t show those pictures (but they will become part of Presidential archive).”
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On This Day:
President Obama rests his foot on a desk as he talks with Phil Schiliro, assistant to the President for legislative affairs, in the Outer Oval Office, Oct. 29, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama greets Girl Scouts prior to a signing ceremony for the Girl Scouts USA Centennial Commemorative Coin Act in the Oval Office, Oct. 29, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Barack Obama makes remarks during a ceremonial swearing-in of FBI Director James Comey at the FBI Headquarters in Washington
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C-SPAN has the full coverage of the event and James Comey’s speech was great. You can watch it here
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President Barack Obama pats new FBI Director James Comey on the back as they arrive for Comey’s installation ceremony at the FBI Headquarters
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FBI Director James Comey is sworn in at a ceremony at the FBI Headquarters. Comey was officially sworn in as director of FBI on September 4 to succeed Robert Mueller, who had served as director for 12 years.
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FBI Director James Comey speaks during a swearing in ceremony at the FBI Headquarters
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President Barack Obama talks with FBI Director James Comey during the installation ceremony for Comey as FBI director
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President Barack Obama attends the swearing-in of FBI Director James Comey at the FBI headquarters