President Obama: “With this authority, we would help businesses grow, save businesses time and save taxpayer dollars”.

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US President Barack Obama has thrown down the gauntlet to Republicans by asking Congress for the power to shrink the federal government.

Click on the image to view the video.

He told business leaders that he wants to close the US commerce department and merge six agencies.

The White House said the plan would save $3bn (£2bn) over 10 years and cut 1,000 to 2,000 jobs through attrition.

The proposal is seen as an attempt to counter Republican criticisms that Mr Obama is a big-government liberal.

With November’s general election on the horizon, it is not clear whether congressional Republicans will grant Mr Obama’s request for such reorganisational powers.

Read the full BBC story.

The US economy created 200,000 jobs in December, marking the sixth month in a row of gains, official figures show.

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Source: BBC
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The rise was much more than expected. Analysts had forecast an increase of about 150,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate dropped to 8.5%, which was the lowest level in nearly three years, from a revised 8.7% in November, the Labor Department said.

Large job gains were seen in retail, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing and healthcare.

For 2011 as a whole, some 1.6 million jobs were created, which was the highest since 2006, led by rises in the private sector.

Employment in the private sector rose by 212,000 in December and by 1.9 million over the year.

Government employment was little changed in December but was down by 280,000 over the year.

The unemployment rate had remained stubbornly high at about 9% for several years, peaking at 10.1% in October 2009. But December marked the fourth month in a row that it had fallen, after routine updates were made to previous months’ data at the end of the year.

However, November’s figure was revised up slightly from 8.6% to 8.7%.

Read the full BBC story.

Weekly Address: Working Together in the New Year

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President Obama tells the American people that, by joining together, we can move past the tough debates and help to create jobs and grow the economy in the new year.

Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day

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Remarks in recognitions of Human Rights Day

Good evening, and let me express my deep honor and pleasure at being here. I want to thank Director General Tokayev and Ms. Wyden along with other ministers, ambassadors, excellencies, and UN partners. This weekend, we will celebrate Human Rights Day, the anniversary of one of the great accomplishments of the last century.

Beginning in 1947, delegates from six continents devoted themselves to drafting a declaration that would enshrine the fundamental rights and freedoms of people everywhere. In the aftermath of World War II, many nations pressed for a statement of this kind to help ensure that we would prevent future atrocities and protect the inherent humanity and dignity of all people. And so the delegates went to work. They discussed, they wrote, they revisited, revised, rewrote, for thousands of hours. And they incorporated suggestions and revisions from governments, organizations, and individuals around the world.

–Hillary Rodham Clinton, USA Secretary of State, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, December 6, 2011

Read the full remarks or watch the video:
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/12/178368.htm