Drone crashes on White House grounds
WASHINGTON – A 2-foot-long drone apparently flown by a hobbyist crashed on the White House grounds Monday in an extraordinary, if unintended, breach that raised fresh questions about the president’s security – and a growing threat from the sky.
A man later came forward to say he was responsible for the mishap in the middle of the night and hadn’t meant to fly the drone over the complex, officials said. “Initial indications are that this incident occurred as a result of recreational use of the device,” said Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary.
President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, were overseas when the quadcopter struck the southeast side of the grounds at about 3 a.m. Daughters Sasha and Malia stayed behind in Washington; it was not known whether they were at the mansion.
Officials believed the intrusion to be the first of its kind on the White House grounds, although not the first in the vicinity.
Christie to raise money for 2016 run
NEWARK, N.J. – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has taken his firmest step yet toward running for president, launching an organization that allows him to raise money for a potential 2016 campaign.
Opening the political action committee allows Christie to begin to hire staffers, build the foundations of a campaign operation and travel across the country as he weighs a final decision on a run. He’s not expected to announce a final decision until spring.
The organization, called Leadership Matters for America, was widely expected and comes not long after former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced in December a similar organization. Bush’s move kicked off an aggressive race to lock down establishment donors and may have drawn 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney into the race.
Christie was named the new group’s honorary chairman. A mission statement on the organization’s website echoes themes that Christie has focused in recent speeches, including remarks on Saturday in Iowa to conservative activists.
Senate Democrats stall pipeline bill
WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats temporarily stalled progress Monday on a bill to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline, the top priority of the Republican-controlled Congress.
In a 53-39 vote, the Senate blocked an attempt by Republican leaders to wind down debate. That’s short of the 60 votes needed.
The vote caps a partisan dispute which had the Senate working into the early hours last Friday over the time granted to consider amendments on the bill.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to move to pass the bipartisan legislation, which has 60 sponsors, including six Democrats. But Democrats argued they needed more time to offer and debate their additions.
Associated Press
