Barack Obama

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

News about Barack Obama, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Dec. 19, 2013

Editorial praises report released by panel of intelligence and legal experts commissioned by Pres Obama, which calls on the government to end its bulk phone-data collection program and increase transparency and accountability of surveillance programs; urges Obama to quickly adopt the panel's recommendation and end dragnet surveillance.MORE »
Dec. 19, 2013

Op-Ed article by author Ishmael Reed contends Pres Obama is the one Democratic president who comes closest to style of bebop called 'the Cool;' recounts having that impression reinforced after seeing Obama award saxophonist Sonny Rollins with National Medal of Arts and Humanities.MORE »
Dec. 18, 2013

Meeting between Pres Obama and technology industry executives that started with discussions about the federal health care site shifts quickly to the concerns of Apple, Microsoft, Google and other companies over National Security Agency spying; Obama and executives find a shared fading of public trust.MORE »
Dec. 18, 2013

Pres Obama names openly gay athletes to the US Olympic delegation, issuing clear protest of Russia's crackdown on gay rights in lead up to the Sochi Games.MORE »
Dec. 17, 2013

Advisers to Pres Obama are expected to announce search for home for his foundation and library in early 2014; project could cost more than $500 million, and already suitors from his home state of Illinois and adopted states are expressing interest; Obama's loyalists are quietly jockeying over who will plan his post-presidential library, a plum task at the intersection of wealthy donors, perks and powerful networks.MORE »
Dec. 17, 2013

Effort to build a new intelligence relationship with Germany is foundering, nearly two months after Pres Obama assured Chancellor Angela Merkel that the United States would never again target her cellphone; American officials have refuse to extend the 'no spying' guarantee beyond Merkel.MORE »
Dec. 16, 2013

Prince Turki al-Faisal, former intelligence chief of Saudi Arabia, blasts Obama administration for indecision and loss of credibility with Middle East allies, saying American efforts to secure a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians cannot succeed without clear commitment from Pres Obama.MORE »
Dec. 14, 2013

Diplomatic Memo on Pres Obama's eulogy of Nelson Mandela in Soweto, South Africa; says words, intended both as celebration of Mandela and chastisement of himself and African leaders for failing to live up to legacy, called for more accountability in sub-Saharan Africa; some see gap between Obama's words and deeds on continent.MORE »
Dec. 12, 2013

Political Memo; historical record of two-term presidents shows that Pres Obama, preparing to enter sixth year of his presidency, should not be too optimistic about his party gaining or even holding ground in midterm elections.MORE »
Dec. 12, 2013

Pete Rouse, trusted adviser to Pres Obama, will leave White House at the end of 2013; Rouse gained reputation as insider with a low profile who built Obama organization, hired many of its key players, and plotted strategy.MORE »
Dec. 12, 2013

Nicholas D Kristof Op-Ed column holds Americans can uphold spirit of Nelson Mandela by advocating for political prisoners and human rights around the world; calls on Pres Obama to make a stronger push to close prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to further honor Mandela's legacy.MORE »
Dec. 11, 2013

New York Times/CBS News poll shows that Pres Obama's approval ratings have returned to where they were before the rollout of the health care law's enrollment process, but Americans still lack confidence in the White House's management of the Affordable Care Act.MORE »
Dec. 10, 2013

Longtime Democratic strategist John D Podesta will join the Obama administration as a counselor; moves comes as Pres Obama seeks to recover public support after the flawed rollout of health insurance marketplaces.MORE »
Dec. 6, 2013

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column contends Pres Obama's speech about income inequality may matter a lot more than cynics may imagine; argues by making a powerful, cogent case that a stronger safety net is needed to preserve opportunity, Obama is setting the stage to make a big difference in both public policy and the conventional wisdom.MORE »
Dec. 5, 2013

White House Memo; some two dozen volumes purchased by Pres Obama at the Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, DC, offer glimpse into his private concerns and aspirations; Obama's tastes have tended more towards fiction than those of earlier presidents, who often read histories and biographies.MORE »
Dec. 5, 2013

Pres Obama, giving speech on the economy, defends Affordable Care Act and proposes minimum wage increase as part of his larger vision to create greater financial security and upward mobility for Americans.MORE »
Dec. 5, 2013

Editorial welcomes Pres Obama's announced intention to spend the rest of his presidency focusing on the crucial issue of reducing economic inequality and improving upward mobility; notes Obama issued a clear challenge to his opponents in the Republican Party; holds what he should have mentioned was the need to increase tax revenue and overhaul the tax code.MORE »
Dec. 5, 2013

Letter from former Manhattan District Attorney Robert M Morgenthau comments on Nov 27 editorial criticizing Pres Obama's passivity on the issue of immigration.MORE »
Dec. 4, 2013

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column assesses what is needed for successful conclusions to both the Iran nuclear deal and negotiations between Israel and Palestinians; contends that if Prime Min Benjamin Netanyahu and Pres Obama approach both issues with a reasonably shared vision, they could play a huge role in remaking the Middle East for the better.MORE »
Dec. 3, 2013

Conservative critics, joined by their Republican allies on Capitol Hill, are trying to make the case that Pres Obama has overstepped his authority in applying his health care law; fresh wave of legal challenges to Affordable Care Act that began with Supreme Court challenge to law is playing out in courtrooms and shows no signs of abating.MORE »
Dec. 1, 2013

Story of how Obama administration confronted botched rollout of federal health care Web site reveals an insular White House that did not initially appreciate the magnitude of its self-inflicted wounds; out of a tense Oval Office meeting grew a frantic effort aimed at rescuing not only the troubled insurance portal and Obama's credibility, but also the Democratic philosophy that government can solve complex social problems.MORE »
Dec. 1, 2013

Relationship between Pres Obama and his chief photographer Pete Souza is generating tensions with news photographers assigned to White House, who claim that giving Souza access to presidential sessions while excluding news photographers amounts to replacing journalism with press releases; conflict has been exacerbated by digital technology, which White House uses to distribute Souza's pictures.MORE »
Nov. 30, 2013

Pres Obama and Michelle Obama visit labor leader Eliseo Medina and two other advocates for immigrants who have been fasting on the National Mall to press the House to act on an immigration overhaul.MORE »
Nov. 28, 2013

Denis McDonough, White House's much-praised chief of staff, is working hard to salvage Pres Obama's troubled second term; finds himself now fixing the health care debacle he did not see coming, preparing for next spending showdown with Congress and trying to rescue an imperiled presidency.MORE »
Nov. 27, 2013

Editorial questions Pres Obama's commitment to immigration reform given that his administration continues to deport illegal immigrants at an unmatched pace; disputes Obama's assertion that he is powerless to halt deportations; criticizes Obama for failing to take seriously the urgency of the issue, and for failing to push House Republicans to vote on the bill passed by the Senate.MORE »
Nov. 26, 2013

Announcements of an interim nuclear deal with Iran and a conference on Syria’s civil war are vivid statements that diplomacy has again become the centerpiece of American foreign policy; shift to diplomacy from military might after two wars fulfills campaign pledge from Pres Obama to reach out to America's enemies, but also subjects him to considerable political risks.MORE »
Nov. 25, 2013

Preliminary nuclear deal with Iran represents seminal moment for Pres Obama, thrusting foreign policy to forefront in White House that has been preoccupied by domestic woes; deal, following 34-year estrangement between Iran and the United States, opens door to wide range of new geopolitical possibilities in Middle East, while alarming traditional allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel.MORE »
Nov. 25, 2013

Editorial welcomes interim nuclear deal between Iran and the major powers; contends Pres Obama and Pres Hassan Rouhani deserve credit for resisting fierce domestic opposition to get to this point; maintains deal offers more hope than ever before that the United States and Iran can find common ground.MORE »
Nov. 24, 2013

Editorial contends Pres Obama has not made a clear and cogent case for a continued military presence in Afghanistan, nor has he explained how a residual force can improve the competency of Afghan forces; urges Obama to make a case for recently announced long-term bilateral security arrangement with Afghanistan.MORE »
Nov. 23, 2013

Interviews and documents offer new details into how rollout of Obama administration's signature online health insurance initiative turned into major humiliation riddled with problems; hundreds of pages show how tensions between government and its contractors, questionable decisions and weak leadership crippled and doomed online exchange before it even launched.MORE »
Nov. 23, 2013

Pres Obama’s critics, in Congress, Arab world and Israel, argue that strategy for negotiating freeze of Iran's nuclear program is backward; insist that roughly $100 billion in remaining sanctions will gradually be whittled away, with China and Europe seeing opportunity to return to earlier time when Iran was major source of trade.MORE »
Nov. 23, 2013

Joe Nocera Op-Ed column compares political fallout suffered by Pres John F Kennedy following failed Bay of Pigs invasion to Pres Obama's current struggles after flawed rollout of the Affordable Care Act; wonders whether Obama will be able to learn from his mistakes as Kennedy did.MORE »
Nov. 22, 2013

Photographers who cover Pres Obama are angry over what they say is the White House’s increasing practice of excluding them from events and then releasing its own photos or video.MORE »
Nov. 21, 2013

Pres Obama bestows Presidential Medal of Freedom on unusually star-studded list of 16 people, including former Pres Bill Clinton; Obama and his family, along with the Clintons, commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pres John F Kennedy's assassination in somber ceremony that unites Democratic presidents past and present.MORE »
Nov. 20, 2013

Afghan officials say a long-term security pact could be reached with the United States extending beyond its 2014 withdrawal deadline if President Obama acknowledges military mistakes that have hurt Afghan civilians, tantamount to an apology; demand is latest lurch in start-and-stop negotiation process that has highlighted Afghan Pres Hamid Karzai's taste for public brinksmanship.MORE »
Nov. 17, 2013

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column urges Pres Obama and Israeli Prime Min Benjamin Netanyahu to read Ari Shavit book My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel; holds book is a real contribution to changing the conversation about Israel, and will offer both men valuable information as they confront a possible nuclear deal with Iran and Palestinian statehood.MORE »
Nov. 16, 2013

House approves legislation that would allow insurance companies to renew individual health insurance policies and sell similar ones to new customers in 2014 even if the coverage does not provide benefits and protections required by the new health care law; vote to pass the bill defies a veto threat from Pres Obama, and 39 Democrats buck their party leadership and the White House to vote in favor of the bill.MORE »
Nov. 16, 2013

Charles M Blow Op-Ed column argues that while racism remains a virulent problem in the United States, it has become less overt and more difficult to detect; examines role that racism has played in Barack Obama's presidency and the emergence of the Tea Party.MORE »
Nov. 16, 2013

Gail Collins Op-Ed column argues that chaos surrounding rollout of health care reform, and Pres Obama's subsequent apologies, represent final disappointment for die-hard supporters who have stuck by him through thick and thin.MORE »
Nov. 15, 2013

News analysis; disastrous launching of Pres Obama's health care law not only threatens rest of his agenda, but also raises questions about his competence; problem-plagued rollout has led to comparisons of George W Bush’s botched response to Hurricane Katrina, which undermined any semblance of Republican efficiency.MORE »
Nov. 15, 2013

Pres Obama, trying to quell growing furor over flawed rollout of his health care law, bows to bipartisan pressure and announces policy reversal that would allow insurance companies to temporarily keep people on health plans that were to be canceled; though his proposal grants discretion to insurers to allow people to stay on their existing plans, there is no guarantee that insurers will do so, or that the states will allow such renewals.MORE »
Nov. 15, 2013

Pres Obama's suggestion that consumers should be allowed to keep their current health plans meets significant resistance from many insurers and state regulators, who doubt proposal will work and fear it might seriously damage the new insurance marketplace.MORE »
Nov. 14, 2013

Just over 106,000 people picked health plans in first month of open enrollment through state and federal insurance marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act; it is a fraction of Obama administration's initial estimate for enrollment during that period, becoming instant fodder for political battle over Obama's signature legislative initiative.MORE »
Nov. 10, 2013

Pres Obama, when traveling abroad, ducks into a security tent set up by aides to shield himself from secret cameras and listening devices; United States is weathering criticism about revelations of National Security Agency spying on allied leaders, but Obama's security tent shows that American officials believe, and can cite evidence, that they get the same treatment when traveling abroad, even from allies.MORE »
Nov. 9, 2013

Pres Obama, in speech at Port of New Orleans, issues a plea for investment in infrastructure while reiterating that flaws in faulty Web site for the federal health insurance exchange will be fixed; speech, which is part of broad discussion of Obama's second-term agenda, also focuses on economic issues as well as his disappointment with Congress.MORE »
Nov. 9, 2013

Problems with HealthCare.gov have sent West Wing staff scrambling to fix it, but some Democrats think that the Obama administration is not sufficiently panicked; there is anxiety that if the health care problems are not righted, they could imperil the rest of Obama’s presidency, especially as criticism grows that the president misled consumers about the plan.MORE »

Highlights From the Archives

News Analysis

Obama Wins a Clear Victory, but Balance of Power Is Unchanged in Washington

By PETER BAKER

After $6 billion, two dozen presidential primary days, four general election debates and more TV ads than anyone could watch, the two parties essentially fought to a standstill.

November 8, 2012usNews Analysis

Man in the News | Barack Hussein Obama

4 Years Later, Scarred but Still Confident

By PETER BAKER

President Obama is making the case that while progress is slow, he is taking America to a better place — and that he will be a better president over the next four years than the last.

September 6, 2012usNews

Obama Elected President as Racial Barrier Falls

By ADAM NAGOURNEY

Barack Hussein Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States, as the country chose him as its first black chief executive.

November 5, 2008usNews

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A Dealer Serving Life Without Having Taken One

By DAN BARRY

Jesse Webster, 46, a former cocaine dealer, sentenced in 1996, is among an estimated 2,000 federal inmates serving life without parole for nonviolent offenses.

December 22, 2013, Sunday

White House Tries to Prevent Judge From Ruling on Surveillance Efforts

By CHARLIE SAVAGE and DAVID E. SANGER

The Obama administration moved to prevent a judge from ruling on the constitutionality of warrantless surveillance programs authorized during the Bush administration.

December 22, 2013, Sunday

Bad Times for Big Brother

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

A judge and a presidential panel slam the N.S.A.’s snooping as a mass invasion of privacy.

December 22, 2013, Sunday

Mixed Messages Add Anxiety as Deadline Nears in Health Act

By ROBERT PEAR

Americans were bracing for a Monday deadline to sign up for health insurance, after a series of changes that has caused uncertainty among insurers and confusion among consumers.

December 22, 2013, Sunday

Obamas Arrive in Hawaii for Vacation

By ASHLEY PARKER

After an end-of-the-year news conference, President Obama and his family touched down in Hawaii, his boyhood home, for a holiday vacation.

December 21, 2013, Saturday

Return to Regular G.O.P. Programming

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

The budget deal only briefly papered over the party’s destructive political tactics.

December 21, 2013, Saturday

Despite Baucus Nomination, Critics Cite Void in China Lineup

By MARK LANDLER

After Senator Max Baucus was appointed ambassador to China, questions have arisen as to who, other than President Obama himself, will have an influential voice in dealing with Beijing.

December 21, 2013, Saturday

Senate Bill Threatens Nuclear Deal, Analysts Say

By RICK GLADSTONE

Legislation that threatens Iran with tough sanctions if a deal is not reached on its nuclear program could undermine President Hassan Rouhani, political analysts contend.

December 21, 2013, Saturday

De Blasio’s Tale of 2 New Yorks Inspires Liberals Beyond City

By THOMAS KAPLAN

Bill de Blasio’s winning campaign for mayor of New York — and his relentless critique of economic inequality in the city — seems to be emboldening liberal elected officials elsewhere.

December 21, 2013, Saturday

Civic Break for the Holidays

By GAIL COLLINS

Congress gave all Americans a great Christmas gift: No government shutdowns for the next two years. Now we can rest easy until next year.

December 21, 2013, Saturday

Yemen Deaths Test Claims of New Drone Policy

By MARK MAZZETTI and ROBERT F. WORTH

The reported deaths of innocent people in a wedding procession this month illuminated the reality behind the Obama administration’s new drone policy.

December 21, 2013, Saturday

Mr. Obama’s Disappointing Response

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

In his news conference, the president, yet again, offers little more than bland reassurances on the government’s runaway surveillance policy.

December 21, 2013, Saturday

Weary Obama at Break, Hoping for a Breakthrough

By JACKIE CALMES

At a news conference, President Obama held out hope for a better year but suggested little strategy for achieving once-ambitious goals.

December 21, 2013, Saturday

Times Minute | 2014 a 'Year of Action'

By CHRISTIAN ROMAN

Also on the Minute, a singer turned activist in Ukraine and surfboard entrepreneurs.

December 20, 2013, Friday

Boitano, Sochi Delegate, Says He’s Gay

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Olympic figure skating champion Brian Boitano came out as gay Thursday, two days after he was named to the United States delegation for the Sochi Games.

December 20, 2013, Friday

Another Rule in Health Law Is Scaled Back

By ROBERT PEAR

Millions facing the cancellation of health insurance policies will be exempt from penalties if they go without next year, the White House said.

December 20, 2013, Friday

U.S. Deportations Decline; Felons Made Up Big Share

By JULIA PRESTON

The Obama administration deported 368,644 foreigners during the 2013 fiscal year, immigration enforcement officials reported, 10 percent fewer than in 2012.

December 20, 2013, Friday

Senate Bill to Impose New Sanctions on Iran Spurs Veto Threat From White House

By MARK LANDLER

The Obama administration swiftly condemned the legislation by a bipartisan group of senators, warning that it could derail negotiations with Iran.

December 20, 2013, Friday

A Legacy in the Balance on Surveillance Policies

By PETER BAKER

At the heart of the report by a White House advisory group about America’s surveillance state is a challenge to President Obama’s conception of his presidency.

December 20, 2013, Friday

Obama Weighing Security and Privacy in Deciding on Spy Program Limits

By DAVID E. SANGER

The president’s choices in the next few weeks may define America’s approach to national security long after his term is over.

December 20, 2013, Friday

Senate Passes Pentagon Bill After Compromise on Obama Nominees

By ASHLEY PARKER

The bill will delay Janet L. Yellen’s confirmation as chairwoman of the Federal Reserve until 2014.

December 20, 2013, Friday

With Obama Now in Need, Aides Put Off Their Exits

By JACKIE CALMES

Some are sticking around both to help the president regain his standing and to avoid perceptions that aides are either escaping or being forced out.

December 20, 2013, Friday

Obama Commutes Sentences for 8 in Crack Cocaine Cases

By CHARLIE SAVAGE

President Obama said the inmates, each of whom has been imprisoned for at least 15 years, had been sentenced under what is now recognized as an “unfair system.”

December 20, 2013, Friday

The Aftermath of Drone Strikes on a Wedding Convoy in Yemen

By CHRISTINE HAUSER

Images from local media surfaced on social media showing what were described as the graphic consequences of a drone-fired missile strike on a convoy in a remote area.

December 19, 2013, Thursday

Turn Off the Data Vacuum

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

President Obama can quickly adopt a new call for an end to the ineffective and constitutionally dangerous dragnet surveillance.

December 19, 2013, Thursday

Olympics Invite Trouble When Politics Drive Choices

By JULIET MACUR

How have Olympians ended up in the middle of a human rights debate yet again?

December 19, 2013, Thursday

The President of the Cool

By ISHMAEL REED

Barack Obama comes close to exemplifying the essence of the style of bebop.

December 19, 2013, Thursday

Uninsured Skeptical of Health Care Law in Poll

By ABBY GOODNOUGH and ALLISON KOPICKI

Americans who lack medical coverage disapprove of the new health law at roughly the same rate as the insured, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

December 19, 2013, Thursday

Obama Is Urged to Sharply Curb N.S.A. Data Mining

By DAVID E. SANGER and CHARLIE SAVAGE

A panel of advisers urged President Obama to change the way the National Security Agency collects the telephone data of Americans, spies on foreign leaders and prepares for cyberattacks abroad.

December 19, 2013, Thursday

Signs of Baby Steps on Stanching Wasteful Flaring of Natural Gas

By ANDREW C. REVKIN

Signs of progress on wasteful, warming flaring of natural gas in America’s Bakken oil patch.

December 18, 2013, Wednesday

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Multimedia

Video Feature

President Obama’s Election Night Speech

“Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual,” President Obama said after winning the election. “You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours.”