Obama, Ban condemn Moscow bombing
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Monday condemned the deadly terrorist bombing at a Moscow airport.
"I strongly condemn this outrageous act of terrorism against the Russian people at the Domodedovo Airport," Obama said in a statement read by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs to reporters at their daily briefing. "I want to express the solidarity of the American people with the Russian people in the aftermath of this premeditated attack against innocent civilians."
The president said he and first lady Michelle Obama offered their deepest condolences to the Russian people, "who have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorism."
"We share your sorrow and a resolve to stand with you in our common fight against those who use terrorism for their political goals," he said.
A spokesman for Ban said the U.N. leader was appalled by the bombing, calling it a "deplorable and unjustifiable act of violence against innocents."
Ban sent his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and his solidarity with the government and people of Russia.
Gibbs declined to delve into whether Chechen rebels or others were responsible for the attack in Russia that killed at least 35 people and wounded at least 133 others.
"I'm not going to get into -- I don't think it would be a good idea for me to get into that," he said. "Obviously we are continuing to gather facts, to talk with the Russian government.
"We would extend any assistance that they might want, and officials here and throughout our government will stay briefed throughout the day on it."
Gibbs keeps State of Union details secret
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- White House reporters found slim pickings Monday when they tried to pry details of the president's State of the Union speech from press secretary Robert Gibbs.
Gibbs repeatedly told the press corps they will have to wait until 9 p.m. EST Tuesday to find out what's in the speech. That's when President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver the address to Congress and the nation outlining his views of what needs to be done to move the nation forward.
"I will say that I think you'll hear the president, as we've discussed, speak -- spend most of his time talking about the economy, talking about the challenges that we face both in the short term in terms of doing whatever we can to help create jobs, in the medium and long term to continue working on issues like competitiveness and innovation, and ensuring that in the medium and the long term we get our fiscal house in order," Gibbs said.
Gibbs deflected questions about whether the speech would contain any specifics on curbing Social Security or other entitlements.
"... I think you'll hear the president talk about a whole host of economic things, including getting our fiscal house in order," he said.
Gibbs said Obama has previously mentioned ways to trim federal spending, including a freeze on civilian pay for government workers.
"And the president, again, will spend some time, not just tomorrow night and not just at the introduction of the budget, but throughout the year, talking about what we have to do, again, to make progress on our spending," Gibbs said.
The president will unveil the nuts-and-bolts of his budget proposal in mid-February, Gibbs said.
The press secretary later said Obama "will certainly get into a discussion of some aspects of our foreign policy and will certainly talk about where we are and what progress has been made in our war in Afghanistan, absolutely."
Gibbs said the speech will differ from some presidential addresses in the past in that "I don't think you'll see a laundry list of issues."
"I don't think this is intended to be a speech that is one where you spend big chunks of time walking through the specific machinations of policy," he said.
On a tangential matter, Gibbs was asked if the president has moved ideologically to the center.
"The president is still the same president that we've had for more than two years," Gibbs said.
He was evasive on whether Obama will bring up gun control in the wake of the massacre in Tucson.
"From a policy perspective, I'll simply tell you that, as I said last week, I don't doubt that as a result of the impact of the issues of what happened in Tuscon, that there will be a number of proposals that this White House and the Congress will evaluate, and we'll wait until tomorrow to see what's in the State of the Union," Gibbs said.
Gibbs said the list of guests who will sit in first lady Michelle Obama's box would include Daniel Hernandez, the congressional aide credited with helping save the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who was among those shot Jan. 8 in Tucson; the family of Christina Taylor Green, the 9-year-old girl killed in the spree; and Dr. Peter Rhee, one of the doctors who played a key role in saving Giffords' life.
Report: Obama won't push Soc. Sec. cuts
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama won't push Social Security benefits cuts in his State of the Union address Tuesday, The Washington Post reported Monday.
The newspaper said the White House passed the word to Democratic lawmakers and advocates for seniors during the weekend that raising the retirement age and other benefit reductions are not part of Obama's plan for reducing the federal deficit.
Trimming Social Security costs was among the recommendations made by the president's deficit commission. Liberals welcomed the report on Obama's stance.
"Most of us would like to see the Democrats remain the strong defenders of Social Security, which they have to be if they want to win the next election," said Roger Hickey of the liberal Campaign for America's Future.
Administration officials said it is unlikely Obama will specifically promote any of the deficit commission's recommendations in his speech to Congress and the nation. Still, he probably won't place Social Security off-limits, either, the Post said.
The newspaper's congressional sources said Obama is likely to encourage a bipartisan approach by Congress to ensure Social Security remains solvent, without laying out how to accomplish that goal.
Republican leaders have said they believe Social Security reform is necessary, though House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., says those closing in on retirement should not be expected to take a hit.
"Anyone 55 and older in this country has got to know that their Social Security benefits will not be addressed -- will not be changed," Cantor said. "It is for all of the younger people -- those 54 and younger -- we're going to have to have a serious discussion."
Robert L. Bixby of the non-profit Concord Coalition said the deficit commission's proposals for dealing with Social Security came as no surprise.
"The options they recommended are perfectly reasonable and balanced," Bixby said. "If the president wasn't willing to embrace these sort of changes, he shouldn't have appointed a commission to find solutions. What did he expect?"
Thomas: Wife's pay omitted 'inadvertently'
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Monday acknowledged he made a mistake by failing to disclose his wife's income in financial disclosure forms.
Thomas came in for criticism last week for failing to report his wife's earnings on legally required financial disclosure forms. The watchdog group Common Cause said Virginia Thomas earned more than $680,000 from the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation between 2003 and 2007.
In the financial disclosure forms for those years, Justice Thomas checked a box indicating "none" where "spousal non-investment income" was to be disclosed. The forms are required under the Ethics in Government Act, enacted into law in 1978.
Justice Thomas indicated in amended disclosures that his wife's income during those years was "inadvertently omitted due to a misunderstanding of the filing instructions," The New York Times reported Monday.
Common Cause President Bob Edgar said Justice Thomas' explanation was "implausible," since in his capacity as a Supreme Court justice, Thomas routinely hears complex legal cases. Edgar said it was "hard to see how he could have misunderstood the simple directions of a federal disclosure form."
The amended disclosures indicate Virginia Thomas was employed by the Heritage Foundation and Hillsdale College in Michigan. Mrs. Thomas operated a constitutional law center in Washington for the college.
Common Cause last week argued that Justice Thomas should have recused himself from participating in the Citizens United case, a landmark 2010 on campaign finance law, because Mrs. Thomas had founded a conservative political organization whose interests were affected by the case, and because the justice had participated in a political gathering sponsored by a leading right-wing political financier, Charles Koch.
