Ari Shapiro

NSA Scandal Looms Over Obama-Xi Talks

Ari Shapiro — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 09:25:00 +0000

President Obama always intended to talk about spying this weekend. But not like this.

He's getting to know China's new leader at a sprawling estate in the Southern California desert this weekend, but domestic controversies have followed him there.

The president veered off his talking points Friday to spend more than 10 minutes defending a pair of massive surveillance operations that the media recently disclosed.

One program gives the National Security Agency months of phone logs from Verizon.

'That Was Me': Recognizing Yourself In A Piece Of History

Ari Shapiro — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 23:49:00 +0000

President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping are meeting this weekend at Sunnylands, an exclusive retreat center near Palm Springs, Calif. On top of 11 lakes, a private golf course and a world-renowned art collection, the compound holds more history than even a 200-acre estate should be able to contain. Obama is the eighth U.S. president to have spent time there.

Sunnylands: Where Movie Stars And Presidents Play (And Work)

Ari Shapiro — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 21:37:00 +0000

President Obama arrives in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Friday to spend two days with China's new president, Xi Jinping, at a 200-acre estate called Sunnylands.

The house at Sunnylands is built of lava stone. The private golf course includes a pink pagoda. And if the presidents feel like fishing in one of the property's 11 lakes, they will hardly be the first world leaders to dip a line in the water.

Obama is the eighth president to visit Sunnylands. The first was Dwight Eisenhower, in 1966.

Obama's Economic View: A Glass Half-Full And Half-Empty

Ari Shapiro — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 09:23:00 +0000

It has been a good week for economic news. Here's a quick rundown of the positive signs: Home prices showed their best gains in seven years. Consumer confidence hit a five-year high. The stock market set a new record. All just this week.

"We're seeing progress," President Obama said in the White House Rose Garden on Friday morning, "and the economy is starting to pick up steam.

Why Obama Wants To Change The Key Law In The Terrorism Fight

Ari Shapiro — Wed, 29 May 2013 22:10:00 +0000

Almost all of the federal government's actions against terrorism — from drone strikes to the prison at Guantanamo Bay — are authorized by a single law: the Authorization for Use of Military Force.

Congress passed it just after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Now, President Obama says he wants to revise the law, and ultimately repeal it.

The AUMF is one of the most unusual laws Congress has passed this century. It's less than a page long. The vote was nearly unanimous.