Obama's Tuesday press conference focused primarily on events in Iran. The continued upheaval there, and the President's comments, led all three broadcast network newscasts Tuesday evening, and dominate today's front-page headlines. Reports agree that the President's comments were his toughest to date on the ongoing Iran crisis.
The Los Angeles Times says Obama "particularly deplored the shooting of a young Iranian woman during a protest, horrific images of which were captured by a cellphone camera and broadcast around the world in the last 48 hours." The Washington Post says Obama "has sought to preserve his options for future dealings" with the current Iranian government, "assuming it survives. While his rhetorical message has sharpened, he has not called the June 12 election a fraud, refused to deal with the announced winner, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or spelled out sanctions Iran might face if it continues its crackdown on protesters."
Obama Dismisses Reports Of CIA Role
The President yesterday also dismissed reports that the CIA has played a role in the post-election unrest. NBC Nightly News showed him saying, "They [the Iranians] have got some of the comments that I have made being mistranslated in Iran suggesting that I'm telling rioters to go out and riot some more. There are reports suggesting that the CIA is behind all of this. All of which are patently false."Obama Takes On Insurance Lobby
The AP reports President Obama "squared off with the insurance lobby over industry charges that a government health plan he backs would dismantle the employer coverage Americans have relied on for a half-century and overtake the system." The "harsh exchange came after months of polite White House photo-ops at which the administration and insurers emphasized their search for common ground."
The New York Times reports Obama "argued that a government-run plan competing with private insurers would be an 'important tool to discipline insurance companies' and scoffed at complaints that it could drive some out of business." The Times adds that "two hours before Mr. Obama's news conference, the insurance industry fired off a new broadside against proposals for a public insurance plan." The Washington Times reports AHIP and BlueCross BlueShield Association "warned Congress Tuesday that creating a federally run health insurance plan that is open to the American public would destroy the free-market model of employer-provided health care."
The Wall Street Journal reports Obama also "signaled flexibility," suggesting "he is open to an overhaul that doesn't include a government-run program to compete with private insurers." USA Today reports Obama "challenged the health insurance industry Tuesday to drop its steadfast opposition to a government-run plan that could compete with private insurers to drive down costs in a revamped health care system." The Los Angeles Times reports Obama "ridiculed critics of his government-run insurance proposal, saying private insurers have nothing to fear if they are efficient and consumer-friendly."
The meeting comes as Roll Call reports senators "conceded Tuesday that it appears increasingly unlikely that Congress will reach a bipartisan consensus on health care reform this year, with a rift growing over whether to include a government-run insurance option in the legislation."
Biden Announces Auto Industry Aid Council
The AP reports Vice President Biden said "a new government council will help auto industry workers transition to new manufacturing opportunities, including jobs in alternative energy." President Obama "was expected to sign an executive order Tuesday that establishes the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers." The council will "be chaired by one of the president's top economic advisers, Lawrence Summers, and his labor secretary, Hilda Solis."
Energy Department Announces Automaker Loans
AFP reports the US government "will loan 5.9 billion dollars to Ford Motor Co. and 1.6 billion dollars to Japanese automaker Nissan to invest in improving the fuel economy of their US-built vehicles, officials said Tuesday." The loans "are the first awarded out of a 25-billion-dollar program to help automakers meet upcoming fuel efficiency standards, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said at a press conference." Another "465 million dollars will be loaned to electric sports car maker Telsa."
The New York Times reports General Motors and Chrysler bankruptcies "made them ineligible for the first round of loans but they are expected to be approved in later rounds."
House To Vote On Climate Change Bill
The Wall Street Journal reports House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "has scheduled a vote Friday on a sprawling climate-change bill, signaling the Democratic leadership's confidence that it can overcome objections from Farm Belt Democrats." Opponents and supporters "of landmark climate legislation are ramping up their public-relations campaigns ahead of the planned vote."
It features new items such as $7.5 billion in 'green bonds' for a new federal financing agency called the Clean Energy Deployment Administration, extra emission allowances for politically powerful rural electric cooperatives, greater flexibility for states that want to use free allowances for mass transit, and tweaks benefiting a range of companies, including algae-based biofuel producers and major petroleum refiners."
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) CQ Politics reports, "Asked later to clarify whether he meant that he wouldn't run in 2012, Barbour shot back, 'I don't think I said that.' It was not the first time that Barbour has left open the door to a run. 'He's a potential candidate.
Latest From Late Night Comedians
Conan O'Brien: "The Navy has dispatched a destroyer named the USS John McCain to deal with the North Korean ship that may have illegal weapons. Well, actually, the Navy didn't dispatch the John McCain, it just kind of wandered off on its own."
Conan O'Brien: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced he is not "going to run for governor of California. ... Villaraigosa realized he had no chance of becoming governor of California because he was born in this country and you can understand every word he says."
David Letterman: Bernie Madoff "could be going away for 150 years. Whoa, man, that's a long time. When he gets out, the Republicans could be back in."
Jimmy Fallon: "Everybody, the Department of Homeland Security says that they will no longer use any US spy satellites for domestic surveillance. In other words, yes, they will."
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