WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Friday will name longtime foreign policy aide Denis McDonough as his next White House chief of staff, tapping a trusted loyalist to help drive his second-term agenda as he unveils a major overhaul of senior staff.

Obama will announce the appointment of McDonough, who had been widely tipped to fill the vacancy created by Jack Lew’s nomination as Treasury secretary, at 12:10 p.m. EST (1710 GMT), a White House official said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Get ready for The Barack and Bibi Show, Part Two.

With crunch-time looming in the Iranian nuclear standoff and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict still smoldering, the fractious relationship between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be tested in coming months like never before, as both leaders move into new terms in office.

But with Obama displaying a bolder leadership style since his re-election and Netanyahu seen on the defensive after a weaker-than-expected election showing on Tuesday, the Democratic president looks set to enter the next round with his hand strengthened.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A confident President Barack Obama kicked off his second term on Monday with an impassioned call for a more inclusive America that rejects partisan rancor and embraces immigration reform, gay rights and the fight against climate change.

Obama’s ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol was filled with traditional pomp and pageantry, but it was a scaled-back inauguration compared to the historic start of his presidency in 2009 when he swept into office on a mantle of hope and change as America’s first black president.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama urged Americans on Monday to reject political “absolutism” and partisan rancor as he kicked off his second term with a call for national unity, setting a pragmatic tone for the daunting challenges he faces over the next four years.

Obama’s ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol was filled with traditional pomp and pageantry, but it was a scaled-back inauguration compared to the historic start of his presidency in 2009 when he swept into office on a mantle of hope and change as America’s first black president

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will take the official oath of office in a small, private ceremony at the White House on Sunday, setting a more subdued tone for his second inauguration than his historic swearing-in four years ago.

Obama will still be sworn in publicly outside the U.S. Capitol on Monday with all the traditional pomp, but that event will be mostly for show.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama launched the biggest U.S. gun-control push in generations on Wednesday, urging Congress to approve an assault weapons ban and background checks for all gun buyers to prevent mass shootings like the Newtown school massacre.

Rolling out a wide-ranging plan for executive and legislative action to curb gun violence, Obama set up a fierce clash with the powerful U.S. gun lobby and its supporters in Congress, who will resist what they see as an encroachment on constitutionally protected gun rights.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama proposed a new assault weapons ban and mandatory background checks for all gun buyers on Wednesday in a bid to channel national outrage over the Newtown school massacre into the biggest U.S. gun-control push in generations.

Rolling out a wide-ranging plan for executive and legislative action to curb gun violence, Obama set up a fierce clash with the powerful U.S. gun lobby and its supporters in Congress, who are expected to resist what they see as an encroachment on constitutionally protected gun rights.

WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on
Monday rejected any negotiations with Republicans over raising
the U.S. borrowing limit, accusing his opponents of trying to
extract a ransom for not ruining the economy in the latest
fiscal fight.

At a White House news conference called to promote his
position on the budget, Obama vowed not to trade cuts in
government spending sought by Republicans in exchange for
raising the borrowing limit.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Monday he would review a set of “common sense steps” to reduce gun violence proposed by Vice President Joe Biden and announce a plan this week to pursue legislation and measures he could implement on his own.

Though the proposals have not been made public, a rough outline of what the president hopes to pursue is clear. Obama reiterated that he would support reinstating a ban on assault weapons, stricter controls on high-capacity ammunition clips, and stronger background checks.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Monday that he would formally present this week a list of “sensible, common sense steps” to reduce gun violence from Vice President Joe Biden and vowed to work vigorously to implement them.

Though the proposals have not been made public, a rough outline of what the president hopes to pursue is clear. Obama reiterated that he would support reinstating a ban on assault weapons, stricter controls on high-capacity ammunition clips, and stronger background checks.