But there is no relation” to the hacking. On Saturday, North Korea proposed a joint investigation with the U.S. into the hacking attack. An unidentified Foreign Ministry spokesman in Pyongyang said the U.S. would face unspecified “grave consequences” if it rejects its proposal for the investigation. He also said North Korea knows how to prove it’s not responsible for the hacking.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/obama-north-korea-hacked-sony-vows-response-27732851
Obama warns N. Korea over Sony hack: ‘We will respond’ – Yahoo News
Korea over Sony hack: ‘We will respond’ By Susan Stumme 5 hours ago . . Washington (AFP) – US President Barack Obama warned North Korea it would face retaliation for a crippling cyber attack on Sony Pictures over an irreverent film comedy that infuriated Pyongyang. Obama said the movie giant had “made a mistake” in canceling the Christmas Day release of “The Interview,” a madcap romp about a CIA plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Sony defended its decision, made after anonymous hackers invoked the 9/11 attacks in threatening cinemas screening the film, prompting theater chains to say they would not risk showing it.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-warns-n-korea-over-sony-hack-respond-071225569.html
Obama blasts Guantanamo provisions as he signs defense bill – Yahoo News
The law authorizes funds for basic military operations, from a 1 percent pay raise for troops to the purchase of ships, aircraft and other war-fighting equipment. It also authorizes the training and equipping of moderate Syrian rebels battling the extremists for two years and provides $5 billion to train Iraqis battling the militants who brutally rule large sections of the two countries. The measure provides the core funding of $521.3 billion for the military and $63.7 billion for overseas operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Despite Obama’s objections, it maintains a ban on transferring terror continue suspects from the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba to the United States for prosecution or imprisonment. Obama issued a separate statement criticizing the ban on Guantanamo transfers in the defense bill and the government funding bill he signed earlier this week. Obama declared at the outset of his presidency that he wanted to close the detention center, but Congress has thwarted his efforts.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/obama-signs-massive-defense-spending-bill-27727923
Obama Renews Tax Breaks, Creates ABLE Accounts – ABC News
“As I have said many times, the continued operation of this detention facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners and emboldening violent extremists. Closing the detention facility is a national imperative,” Obama said in a statement. “Instead of removing unwarranted and burdensome restrictions that curtail the executive branch’s options for managing the detainee population, this bill continues them.” Six years after Obama was elected having made a campaign promise to close the prison, 136 detainees still remain, 67 of whom have been cleared for release by either the Bush or Obama administrations. “The Guantanamo detention facility’s continued operation undermines our national security. We must close it,” Obama said. “I call on members from both sides of the aisle to work with us to bring this chapter of American history to a close.” The Guantanamo Bay prison — built to house terror suspects after the September 11, 2001 attacks — has long been controversial, both for the incarceration of uncharged and untried suspects and for the brutal interrogations of some detainees.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-blasts-guantanamo-provisions-signs-defense-bill-030409148.html
Obama Signs Massive Defense Spending Bill – ABC News
But the fate of the tax provisions beyond this year will again be uncertain. Congress routinely extends the package of tax breaks every year or two, but they were allowed to expire in January. The package will add nearly $42 billion to the budget deficit over the next decade, according to congressional estimates. The 54 tax breaks benefit big corporations and small businesses, as well as struggling homeowners and residents of states without a state income tax. More narrow provisions include tax breaks for filmmakers, racehorse owners and rum producers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands . House Republicans and Senate Democrats negotiated to make some of the tax breaks permanent.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/obama-renews-tax-breaks-creates-accounts-27727419
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