November 23rd, 2016
Obama's pick for Agriculture Department: Patty Judge, another Iowan
Des Moines - The next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture will be another politician from the State of Iowa, President Obama confirmed today. Patty Judge, former Lieutenant Governor and Iowa Agriculture Secretary, will be the President's pick to replace Tom Vilsack, elected to the Senate from his state in 2016, in the Agriculture Department. Judge is considered a qualified woman for the position, especially since she has deep experience in agricultural matters, and the pick was widely praised by agriculture activists from both sides of the aisle. Sen. Joni Ernest (R-IA) said that the pick was "encouraging" and that "Patty is a great Iowan and a friend of mine", signaling Republican support for the pick.
November 25th, 2016
Two more retainments: Julián Castro, Ernest Moniz to stay in posts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Two more popular members of the Obama cabinet will stay in their posts, the President confirmed today. Julian Castro, former Mayor of San Antonio and current Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party and him remaining in the cabinet is seen as a good way to keep him politically visible before a potential run for higher office in Texas, a state Obama narrowly won in 2016. Ernest Moniz, the Secretary of Energy, is a nuclear physicist by profession and is considered an effective and competent leader for the department overseeing the nation's nuclear arsenal. He also promised to work to implement the President's clean energy agenda. The choices are considered strong, and pundits say that there was no reason for Obama to replace the two popular secretaries.
November 28th, 2016
Howard Dean to serve as next Secretary of Health and Human Services
BURLINGTON - In an announcement considered by many a surprise, President Obama said that current HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell, previously favoured to be retained, will retire at the end of the current term and be replaced by Howard Dean, a politician with an extensive record- former Governor of Vermont, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee in 2004, and 4th-place finisher in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary, losing to Obama. Dean, a former doctor and a high-profile appointment who expressed support for some form of universal healthcare, said that guaranteeing healthcare for all Americans will be "very high in the agenda". The pick was praised by progressive as well as moderate Democrats, with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) calling it "a very positive sign", but opposed by most Republicans, and signals a coming congressial battle on healthcare as Obama strives to cement his legacy.
December 1st, 2016
Comey to remain FBI Director, Avril Haines to lead CIA
WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Obama announced today his picks to head the two most important security agencies- Avril Haines, former Deputy CIA Director and current Deputy National Security Advisor, will return to the CIA to head the agency, while current FBI Director James Comey will retain his position. Both choices are considered somehow surprising- Haines is regarded as a woman with high work ethics and a personality of humility and kindness, traits hardly associated with the CIA, and is considered a sign that Obama wishes to make the agency less "brutal". Haines will also be the first woman to head the CIA, signaling a historic development. Meanwhile, Comey reportedly angered the President by publicly announcing that the Hillary Clinton email probe will be briefly resumed a few weeks before election day, returning Clinton's email problems to the headlines. However, he's regarded as a neutral and ethical force within the FBI, and the President was otherwise happy with his performance.
December 11th, 2016
BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) appointed by Obama to serve as Commerce Secretary
LAS VEGAS - In his most surprising new cabinet announcement to date, President Barack Obama announced today that Senator Dean Heller, a relatively moderate Republican from Nevada, will serve as his next Secretary of Commerce. The pick shook up Washington, as it meant two things- Obama will press on with his free-trade policy and work to pass the TPP, and Heller will not run for reelection in 2018, opening up a possible pickup for Democrats in a year looking grim for them. However, Governor Brian Sandoval, whose term is up in 2018, will appoint Heller's replacement and could potentially run for the seat himself. The pick got mixed reviews- progressive Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called Heller "someone who doesn't have the best interests of the American worker in mind", and Senator Mitch McConnell called it "a nakedly political move". However, others praised the pick, with House Speaker Paul Ryan noteably regarding it "positively" and Senator John McCain lauding Obama for "a strong showing of bipartisanship and goodwill". Heller himself confirmed the nomination, said that he will "gladly accept the oppurtinity to serve my nation", and defended the pick, denying that it has a political purpose, and joking that there is "no evidence I would be a stronger candidate in 2018 than another person I think we all have in mind", probably hinting at Governor Sandoval. The Nevada Governor refused to reveal Heller's appointed replacement or to reveal his own intentions.
