Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 4-5-16 Edition

Pres. Obama, World Leaders Urge Action On Nuclear Security, Terror
President Obama Still Not Allowed To Use An iPhone, But White House Tech Update Means His Aides Can
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
WASHINGTON -- World leaders declared progress in safeguarding nuclear materials sought by terrorists and way- ward nations, even as Presi- dent Barack Obama acknowledged the task was far from finished.
Closing out a nuclear secu- rity summit on Friday, Pres. Obama warned of a persist- ent and harrowing threat: ter- rorists getting their hands on a nuclear bomb. He urged fellow leaders not to be complacent about the risk of catastrophe, saying that such an attack by the Islamic State or a similar group would "change our world."
"I'm the first to acknowl- edge the great deal of work that remains," Pres. Obama said, adding that the vision of disarmament he laid out at the start of his presidency may not be realized during his lifetime. "But we've begun."
Despite their calls for fur- ther action, the roughly 50 leaders assembled announced that this year's gathering would be the last of this kind. This year, deep concerns about
Pres. Barack Obama speaks during a news conference at the conclusion of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, Friday, April 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Pres. Barack Obama
has said in the past that he’s not allowed to use an iPhone for security reasons (though he does use a WiFi-only iPad) – but the NY Times re- ports that senior White House aides finally can. The change of policy comes as part of a major update to eld- erly White House technol- ogy.
Until very recently, West Wing aides were stuck in a sad and stunning state of technological inferiority: desktop computers from the last decade, black-and-white printers that could not do double-sided copies, aging BlackBerries (no iPhones), weak wireless Internet and desktop phones so old that
few staff members knew how to program the speed-dial buttons.
Many White House aides now carry the most recent iPhones. Mr. Obama, how- ever, still carries a specially modified, highly secure BlackBerry.
One would hope that the modifications to that Black- berry include the messaging system, since the company’s CEO last year implied that the security of its messaging system is less than perfect.
While Pres. Obama is a seeming fan of Apple prod- ucts, he unsurprisingly came down on the FBI’s side when it came to the company’s re- fusal to build a ‘GovtOS’ for the San Bernardino iPhone.
terrorism were the command- ing focus, as leaders grappled with the notion that the next Paris or Brussels could involve an attack with a nuclear weapon or dirty bomb.
Pres. Obama said of the terrorists, "There is no doubt that if these madmen ever got their hands on a nuclear bomb or nuclear material they most certainly would use it to kill as many innocent people as possible."
So far, no terrorists have obtained a nuclear weapon or a dirty bomb, Pres. Obama said, crediting global efforts to secure nuclear material. But he said it wasn't for lack of the terrorists trying: Al-Qaida has sought nuclear materials, IS has deployed chemical weapons and extremists linked to the Brussels and Paris attacks were found to have spied on a top Belgian nuclear official.
Pres. Obama Joined By
Aaron Rodgers, Mark
Kelly For Golf Outing
WASHINGTON - Pres. Barack Obama is on the course with some high-pow- ered golf partners.
According to the White House, there's quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers and re- tired astronaut, Mark Kelly.
Kelly is married to for- mer Rep. Gabrielle Gif- fords, an Arizona Democrat. The couple be- came outspoken advocates for tighter gun-control laws after Giffords was seriously wounded in a mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people in January 2011. Rounding out the group at the Andrews Air Force Base course is ESPN's "Pardon The Interruption" co-host Tony Kornheiser.
Giffords has campaigned for Hillary Clinton, Pres. Obama's former secretary of state and the front-runner in the Democratic presiden- tial race.
Rodgers had a previous connection to Kelly before their encounter on the
Pres. Barack
plays a shot to the 18th green as he finishes a round of golf with friends at the Mid-Pacific Country Club in Kailua, Hawaii.
course. The two were con- testants last year on an episode of "Celebrity Jeop- ardy," which the NFL star won.
The President's golf out- ing with the Green Bay Pack- ers quarterback comes just days ahead of Wisconsin's Democratic primary elec- tion. Voters will cast their ballots in the state on April 5.
Obama
White House News
PAGE 6 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2016