Advice About: September 2016

Friday, September 30, 2016

Congress suddenly has buyer"s remorse for overriding Obama"s veto

Washington (CNN)Top congressional leaders from each party expressed buyer"s remorse Thursday about a controversial new law that was enacted over President Barack Obama"s objections that allows 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia.

Just one day after these lawmakers led the first override of a veto during Obama"s presidency they publicly called for making changes to the law. But even as they admitted they agreed with some of the White House"s concerns, GOP leaders quickly blamed the President for "dropping the ball" for failing to engage with Congress on the legislation before it passed.

The White House didn"t hold back in its criticism after both the House and Senate voted decisively on Wednesday to overturn Obama"s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, also referred to as JASTA. The President called the vote Wednesday "political" and his spokesman ripped the move as the "single most embarrassing thing" Congress has done in decades.

EXCLUSIVE: Obama says Congress made a "political vote" overriding his veto of Saudi lawsuit bill

Echoing concerns raised by the White House that the measure could open the US to similar lawsuits from people in other countries, House Speaker Paul Ryan said the law needs to be changed to ensure that US troops are protected.

"I"d like to think there is a way we can fix it so that our service members do not have legal problems overseas while still protecting the rights of the 9/11 victims," Ryan said at his weekly news conference.

The speaker voiced his own reservations about the bill earlier this year, saying people needed to look at the unintended consequences. But he explained that he ultimately decided to allow a House vote on it because "you want to make sure that the 9/11 victims and their families get their day in court."

Asked if Congress would try to fix the law when it returns for a post-election session, Ryan replied, "I don"t know."

OPINION: Will Saudis seek revenge for Congress" veto override?

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking at a separate news conference, shared Ryan"s concerns.

"It appears there may be some unintended ramifications of that and I do think it"s worth further discussing," he said. "But it"s certainly is not something that was going to be fixed this week."

McConnell said Obama didn"t reach out to him until this week, which was after the bill had passed both chambers, been vetoed, and was facing an override vote that clearly was going to succeed.

"That was a good example of the failure to communicate early about a piece of legislation that was obviously very popular," McConnell said.

McConnell explained that lawmakers were very focused on the needs of the 9/11 families and didn"t take the time to think through the consequences.

"Because everyone was aware who the potential beneficiaries were, but nobody focused on the potential downside in terms of our international relationships. And I just think it was a ball dropped," McConnell said. "I wish the President -- and I hate to blame everything on him and I don"t -- but it would have been helpful had...we had a discussion about this much earlier than the last week."

White House press secretary Josh Earnest blasted lawmakers for their second thoughts and said there were ample warnings from the administration of the dangerous consequences of the law.

"What"s true in elementary school is true in the United States Congress: ignorance is not an excuse," Earnest said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, typically one of the White House"s strongest allies, voted to override the President"s veto and told reporters she was never pressed by the President to help prevent it from being overturned.

She called the President"s concerns about potential fallout with allies "legitimate" and acknowledged, "I do think that perhaps it could have been written in a little bit of a different way that addressed some of the concerns. The families did think that they made changes but not to the satisfaction of the President obviously."

Pelosi disagreed with the President"s remark that it was a "political vote." While she said she didn"t see his comments, she said the timing of Congress taking up the measure was because the families of the terror attacks pressed for it to pass around the 15th anniversary of the deaths of their loved ones.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, who is expected to be the next Democratic leader next year, is the chief sponsor of the legislation. The New Yorker said he was open to changing the law but not in any way that could hurt the 9/11 families, many of whom are his constituents.

"So I will look at anything," Schumer said at a news conference. "But it has to be something that doesn"t weaken the bill and limit the rights of these families to get their day in court and justice."

Schumer spoke while standing next to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, who was lobbied this week by Obama to sustain his veto, and his was the lone senator to do so. Reid even read aloud to a meeting of his Democratic caucus a letter Obama had written to him outlining his concerns with the bill.

Asked to explain his thinking, Reid declined.

"No, no. I"ve got my friend here. I"m not going to talk about it," he said.

One senator who wanted to talk more about the legislation before it became law was Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Corker said he tried to arrange a meeting this weekend with Senate leaders, Obama, and Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss "a better route" for the legislation.

"We were unable to get the meeting," a frustrated Corker said on the floor. "For reasons that still are unknown to me, that was not achievable. There was no desire whatsoever to sit down and meet."

Earnest said the White House had spoken to Corker.

"He"s going to have to explain to his constituents why he supported a piece of legislation that he claims to harbor significant concerns about," Earnest said of Corker.

Corker spearheaded a letter Wednesday signed by 28 bipartisan senators raising concerns with the law and saying they would consider changes to it, a particularly unusual missive on the day the President"s veto was turned back.

"Every one of those senators that signed the letter voted for the bill, including Sen. Corker. So obviously they thought it was better to have the bill than not," Schumer noted.

As for Obama calling his vote politically-motivated, Schumer rejected the charge.

"I look at the families, it"s hardly political to me," Schumer said. "I"ve worked with these families for five years. I feel their pain."

Could this smog-eating tower solve China"s pollution problem?

Beijing, China (CNN)One of the 21st century"s bleakest problems, air pollution leads to the premature death of 3 million people every year, according to a study published in the journal Nature last year. That number is set to double by 2050.

Most of Roosegaarde"s projects are public-oriented and socially conscious. His Smart Highway project, for instance, envisions roads that charge during the day and glow at night, while Waterlicht uses LED technology to show rising water levels.

Such ambitious endeavors aren"t going unnoticed: Studio Roosegaarde just won the Design Innovation Medal at the London Design Festival.

But while Roosegaarde has high hopes for his Smog Free Tower, he knows it"s not a permanent solution.

Read: Earthquake-proofing the tallest skyscraper in California

"Since we installed it in Beijing, the tower has collected daily as much smog as it did over two weeks in the Netherlands," Roosegaarde says. "This is an issue that can"t be fixed overnight, nor with just one tower. We need a bottom-up effort, with both citizens and governments actively working for change.

"My hope is that one day in 10 or 15 years, we"ll look back at it and find it obsolete. The pressing question is how are we going to get there? This," he says, pointing at the tower, "is a start."

Obama mourns Shimon Peres, and a bygone Israel

(CNN)When President Barack Obama visited Jerusalem in 2013, Shimon Peres, then 89 years old and in his fifth decade of public life, might have been expected to forgo the tour of high-tech innovations at the Israel Museum.

But Peres, ever-passionate about the unfolding opportunities of science, was there introducing his ninth US president to a panel of Israeli and Arab engineers cooperating on boosting the country"s computer and technology sectors.

It was a convenient alignment of both men"s visions for the region and the broader world, one where shared interests -- preferably rooted in the economies and ideas of the future -- can bridge centuries-old divisions.

"They are doing a job for the community, they are very proud, and they can do it all over the world," explained the Israeli president, who would host Obama at his home later that evening after the American leader delivered a speech in the West Bank.

For a US president whose ties to Israel became ever more complicated during his two terms in office, Peres represented a dependable voice for friendship, even as many of Israel"s other leaders took an assertive stance against some of Obama"s top priorities.

More in synch with Obama"s vision of global politics and regional peace than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who as head of the government determines the country"s policies, Peres fostered ties with the US President that extended well beyond bilateral interests. He embodied a different Israel, one that seemed to be the kind of country Obama wished he might have partnered withas president.

"When he talked, everyone listened," Obama wrote in a lengthy, personal statement after Peres died Wednesday in Israel. "And later, long after he"d left the room, you remembered what he said. It crept into your soul and stayed with you. Shimon Peres was truly a force of nature."

Obama hopes to evokethat during remarks at Peres" funeral on Friday, held at Jerusalem"s Mount Herzl cemetery. He"s leading a US delegation of dozens, including former President Bill Clinton, who developed his own attachment to Peres during talks that led to the signing of the Oslo Accords on the South Lawn of the White House in 1993, for which he won the Noble Peace Prize.

It"s only the second time Obama has traveled overseas last-minute to attend a fellow leader"s memorial; he flew to South Africa in 2013 to attend services for another Nobel laureate, Nelson Mandela. And on Wednesday, Obama ordered flags on federal grounds and buildings flown at half-staff, a rare honor for a foreign leader.

"I saw there was a deep friendship there, it was a genuine friendship," said Michael Oren, who served as the Israeli ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013. "The position of President of the State of Israel is largely honorific. You don"t have a lot of political power. You do have a moral platform, and that counted a lot for President Obama."

The pair met almost every year of Obama"s presidency, including in 2012 when Obama bestowed upon Peres the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US honor for a civilian, during a gala celebration at the White House.

The warmth Obama expressed for Peres at the ceremony stood in stark contrast to his many cold encounters with Netanyahu. The Israeli and American leaders clashed throughout Obama"s tenure over conflicting world view, politics and agendas.

Peres provided a balm, an Israeli standard-bearer who lined up with Obama"s own visions for the country and its neighbors. At times, Peres even took Netanyahu to task for tangling with Obama.

Unlike Netanyahu, who railed against the US-backed agreement with Iran to curtail its nuclear program, Peres largely withheld criticism, saying the deal should be assessed over time. When the prime minister -- Peres" rival stemming back to the 1996 Israeli elections -- lobbied against the deal during an address to Congress at the invitation of Republicans, the former president rebuked his countryman.

"Bibi (Netanyahu) can make speeches at any place or date, but when the President of the United States asks him not to come before elections, he must respect that request," Peres said in 2015, referring to Israel"s upcoming vote soon after the congressional address.

Obama"s relationship with Peres began even before the junior senator from Illinois entered the White House. During his trip to Israel as a presidential candidate in 2008, Peres told the first-term senator he"d read both of his autobiographies, stepping away from the books with a sense of "moving humanity."

"They say the future belongs to the young -- they are wrong," Peres said then. "The present belongs to the young. The young should now take care of the burning issues."

To both men"s disappointment, the burning issue of peace between Israel and the Palestinians remained elusive. Efforts to negotiate an accord at various points of Obama"s term fell apart, and administration officials have acknowledged that restarting talks will be unlikely during the few months remaining in Obama"s presidency.

The White House has cited the expansion of Israeli settlement activity on Arab land as unhelpful to the process and chafed at Netanyahu"s public wavering over a two-state solution, a bedrock American goal.

"Given the state of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, or the absence of negotiations, I think it"s probably one of Peres" bitterest aspirations never fulfilled," said Aaron David Miller, who served in Republican and Democratic US administrations and is now vice president of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. "He desperately, I think, wanted to put his stamp, his mark, and largely for the good of the Israeli polity, find a way to deal with the most complicated of all of Israel"s relationships."

Obama"s aides have not ruled out the President taking some steps toward laying out a framework for Middle East peace before he leaves office. Some see Peres" death as a moment to redouble efforts toward an agreement, though officials downplayed the chance that Obama would press the case during his trip Friday to Israel, which was expected to last only hours.

Among Palestinians, many of whom view Peres in a harsher light than Americans or Israelis, there was scant optimism that the moment was right for peace talks to begin anew.

"I know today many people are celebrating the notion of peace, maybe the illusion of peace, but in reality, we still don"t have peace," said Mustafa Barghouti, leader of the Palestine National Initiative political party. "This whole celebration and idealization of the notion of peace should, in my opinion, push those Israelis who are now saying there is no place for Palestinian statehood and for a Palestinian free state to reconsider. It should also push the people of Israelto stop electing the most extreme leaders."

In the United States, it"s Obama"s successor who will be left to carry on the effort. Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, said in a statement this week that Peres "personified dignity and grace in a region of the world where both run far too short."

But Trump has expressed skepticism about the Palestinians and given little indications that he would push either side to come to the table and make concessions in search of a peace deal.

His Democratic opponent is more likely to embrace Obama"s peace efforts, but it"s not clear that she will make it the priority he did after having little show for it. Meanwhile, the Oslo process welcomed by her husband has also failed to bring a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Clinton, whose ties to Peres run far deeper than Trump"s dating back to her time as first lady and secretary of state, said in a joint statement with her husband she had "lost a true and treasured friend."

Unlike the last dozen US presidents, Trump or Clinton won"t be meeting any members of Israel"s founding generation, now that the last one is gone. And he or she will come into office on the heels of a relationship that"s weathered displays of deep animosity over the last eight years.

While Obama and Netanyahu made an attempt during a meeting last week to put forward a positive display of ties -- including a $38 billion decade-long military aid agreement -- deep differences over the region persist.

Amid his contentious encounters with Israel over the years, Obama counted on backing from Peres, a like-minded optimist who was similarly often viewed more favorably abroad than at home.

"We shall not forget that basically (Obama) is a great friend and a good friend, and I trust him," Peres told CNN"s Wolf Blitzer in 2014. "And I don"t mind to hear criticism from a friend. I hope he doesn"t mind to hear it, too."

"Friendship," said Peres, "is not just that all the time you"re flirting."

Why is Gary Johnson still in the race?

Washington (CNN)Gary Johnson is the new punching bag of the 2016 campaign.

The Libertarian presidential candidate is the subject of intensifying ridicule following his latest televised flub when he couldn"t name a world leader he admired during a Wednesday interview with MSNBC"s Chris Matthews. That follows another embarrassing on-air moment last month when, in response to a question about how he would alleviate the plight of the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo, he responded: "What is Aleppo?"

The gaffes, combined with his failure to make the debate stage and his infinitesimal chance of winning the White House, raise a pressing question: Why is Johnson still in the race?

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton ribbed Johnson Thursday by pretending to struggle when she was asked to name a world leader she admired. But she made clear her view that she and her Republican counterpart, Donald Trump, are the only viable candidates.

"Either Donald Trump or I will be the President of the United States," she told reporters on her campaign plane, sending a clear warning to disaffected Democrats flirting with Johnson. "People have to look carefully in making their decision. It will be either him or me."

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And gaffes don"t seem to derail a candidate in 2016 the way they once did.

After all, Trump has made statements that are far more outrageous than Johnson"s comments -- on an almost daily basis -- and he is locked in a tight race with Clinton.

It"s debatable whether true Libertarian voters those who support the party because it favors a disentangling from foreign quagmires and a less robust US global role are that bothered that their candidate is not deeply acquainted with the details of the Syrian civil war.

Pressure on Johnson

But it"s not just verbal stumbles that are beginning to build pressure on Johnson.

His political position is also eroding because of his failure to hit the 15% polling threshold needed to muscle his way into the debates between Clinton and Trump.

Back in June, Johnson told The New Yorker that if he missed what he called the political "Super Bowl" "There"s no way to win."

There are reasons -- beyond the disdain that a large proportion of the electorate appears to hold for Clinton and Trump -- for Johnson to stay in the race.

First, he appears to have the chance to make tangible progress for the Libertarian Party across the nation. In 2012, Johnson ran for President and won just under 1% of the electoral vote. Even if he only cracks 5% this time, that would represent an undeniable step forward for the party.

But there"s a more fundamental reason why Johnson may resist calls to quit.

He explained in an op-ed piece in the New York Times on Wednesday that the American political system, by producing such alienating rivals as Clinton and Trump, has failed. That, he argued, means reformers have no choice but to fight.

"Hyper-partisanship may be entertaining, but it"s a terrible way to try to run a country. We"re the alternative and we"re the only ticket that offers Americans a chance to find common ground," Johnson wrote.

Johnson also appears to be building a significant base of support among millennial voters -- a demographic that Clinton needs to dominate to make it to the White House -- but which could fuel Libertarian Party growth in future.

Clinton, Sanders woo millennial voters

A Bloomberg News/Selzer & Co. poll released Monday found Clinton"s 10-point advantage among younger voters cut to a statistically insignificant four points when Johnson and Stein are included in the race.

While some Democrats who abhor Clinton might be tempted by a fling with Johnson, he is also providing a refuge with Republicans who cannot stomach Trump. Antipathy for the billionaire prompted the Detroit News Thursday to do something it has never done in its 143 year history -- endorse someone other than the Republican presidential candidate.

Concern for Democrats

Still, Johnson"s resilience is causing genuine concern for top Democrats.

"There"s one message I want to deliver to everybody: If you don"t vote, that"s a vote for Trump. If you vote for a third-party candidate who"s got no chance to win, that"s a vote for Trump," President Barack Obama said on the Steve Harvey radio show this week.

Vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine is warning wavering Democrats attracted to Johnson that they risk bringing about an electoral catastrophe similar to the one in Florida in 2000 when Ralph Nader siphoned votes away from Vice President Al Gore. That allowed Bush to claim Florida after the vote count showdown in the US Supreme Court.

"If Gore had been president, we probably wouldn"t had a war in Iraq," Kaine told Yahoo News" Katie Couric last week. "Casting a vote, a protest vote, for a third-party candidate that"s going to lose may well affect the outcome. It may well lead to a consequence that is deeply, deeply troubling. That"s not a speculation, we"ve seen it in our country"s history."

Big cat caretaker, Santa"s elf: 8 cool travel jobs hiring right now

(CNN)Moving to a deserted island or to Santa Claus Village for a job?

Glacier-climbing and lion-attending as your duties?

Whether you"re looking for a change of scenery or a different lifestyle, here are some roles for globetrotters and adventure-seekers that could make a weird but interesting addition to your resume.

Post "elf" in Santa Claus Village

OK, so this one isn"t really a job for travelers, but the successful candidate does get to live in one of the London"s most-visited landmarks.

The most loved royal family in the world is looking for a live-in assistant housekeeper at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip"s weekday residence and the British monarch family"s administrative headquarters.

Housekeeping skills and a keen attention to details are some of the criteria the Queen is looking for.

Downton Abbey wannabes will be responsible for cleaning, caring for the historic interiors and art pieces, and looking after guests of the palace.

With an honorable return of possible royal sightings and lodgings on-site, you don"t expect a big paycheck from the Queen -- just $21,800 per annum.

The deadline is September 30, so you"d better be quick.

MORE: Fancy living in Buckingham Palace? This is your chance

Hoboken train crash: What we know

(CNN)The investigation continues into a deadly rush hour commuter train wreck Thursday at one of the busiest transit hubs in the New York area. Here"s what we know so far:

What happened?

What we know: The affected concourse suffered severe damage. When the train slammed into the barrier and went airborne it hit several support beams holding up a canopy that covered the tracks. The impact brought down parts of the canopy onto the tracks; other pieces crashed onto the platform, causing injuries and structural damage. New Jersey Transit police had to cut power to that part of the station because of wires dangling from the ceiling.

New Jersey Transit rail service has been suspended. The Hudson Bergen Light Rail service from Hoboken resumes Friday

The station, one of the oldest in the country, is big, with multiple platforms serving different public and private rail and bus lines. PATH Train service, a rapid transit system that connects New York and New Jersey, is fully restored.

For the latest service updates, check the NJ Transit website.

What we don"t know: How long the service disruption will last and when the concourse will reopen.

The key to reopening the Hoboken terminal is making sure the building is 100% safe from a structural perspective, Christie says. Only then will it reopen and not "a minute earlier," he said.

Lady Gaga to perform at Super Bowl halftime show

Los Angeles (CNN)Little Monsters, rejoice: Lady Gaga is headed to the Super Bowl.

The singer announced via Twitter on Thursday that she will be performing at halftime during Super Bowl LI, set for Feb. 5, 2017.

"It"s not an illusion. The rumors are true," she wrote in a tweet. "This year the SUPER BOWL goes GAGA!"

Billboard first reported Lady Gaga was in talks for the gig earlier this month.

The announcement comes almost three weeks after Lady Gaga dropped her new single, "Perfect Illusion."

This is the second year in a row the Super Bowl has featured an appearance from Lady Gaga, who won a Golden Globe in January for her role on FX"s "American Horror Story: Hotel." She sang the national anthem at Super Bowl 50 to rave reviews.

Super Bowl 50"s halftime performer was Coldplay, who shared the stage with guest performers Beyonce and Bruno Mars.

USA Today urges voters to oppose Trump

Washington (CNN)The USA Today editorial board for the first time is taking sides in a presidential race -- but it"s not asking voters to back a specific candidate, but rather oppose Donald Trump.

The USA Today editorial board wrote Thursday it was moved to oppose Trump -- the first such move in its 34-year history -- because of what it calls the unique danger he presents.

"From the day he declared his candidacy 15 months ago through this week"s first presidential debate, Trump has demonstrated repeatedly that he lacks the temperament, knowledge, steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents," the board wrote in the op-ed.

Trump, the editorial board adds, is "erratic," "ill-equipped to be commander in chief," a "serial liar" and has "coarsened the national dialogue."

Donald Trump"s tax calculator

"We are not unmindful of the issues that Trump"s campaign has exploited: the disappearance of working-class jobs; excessive political correctness; the direction of the Supreme Court; urban unrest and street violence; the rise of the Islamic State terrorist group; gridlock in Washington and the influence of moneyed interests," the op-ed said. "All are legitimate sources of concern."

Trump"s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, quickly defended Trump in an op-ed of his own for the paper later on Thursday.

"Donald Trump has laid out a vision to improve America"s standing at home and abroad," Pence wrote.

The paper"s anti-Trump editorial clarified that the article isn"t an endorsement of Clinton, but adds that the board believes she would be "far less likely to threaten national security or lead to a constitutional crisis."

The board urges that voters "stay true to their convictions," even if that means voting for Hillary Clinton, a third-party candidate or writing someone in.

The editorial concludes: "Whatever you do, however, resist the siren song of a dangerous demagogue. By all means vote, just not for Donald Trump."

Pence, however, countered that it"s Clinton who would damage the country as president.

"Hillary Clinton personifies why the American people have so little confidence in our political leaders," Pence wrote. "Over three decades in public life, we have grown accustomed to the hallmarks of the Clinton way. Wherever they go, issues of ethics and improprieties are not far behind."

He added that Clinton "represents all that is wrong with the status quo in Washington."

Other major papers with conservative editorial boards have voiced their opposition to Trump in recent days.

The Arizona Republic, The Cincinnati Enquirer and Dallas Morning News notably backed Clinton, while the New Hampshire Union Leader endorsed Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson. And for the first time in the 143-year history of the Detroit News, the paper didn"t endorse a Republican, opting instead for Johnson.

World leader Trump admires? The same one he"s vilified

(CNN)Asked to name a world leader he admires and would like to emulate, Donald Trump on Thursday pointed to the foreign head of state he has most vigorously criticized on the campaign trail.

"Well, I think (Angela) Merkel is a really great world leader, but I was very disappointed that -- when she -- this move with the whole thing on immigration," Trump said, referring to the German chancellor.

Trump has repeatedly vilified Merkel for accepting an influx of Syrian refugees into her country, saying she is "ruining Germany." His criticism of Merkel began last December when Time magazine named Merkel person of the year over Trump.

Despite offering up Merkel as a world leader he would "admire, respect, would like to emulate" in an interview with Boston-based NECN, Trump continued to slam the German leader.

"I was always a Merkel person, I thought really fantastic, but I think she made a very tragic mistake a year-and-a-half ago," Trump said, referring to her acceptance of refugees from Syria, a country torn by civil war, devastated by a mix of ISIS" brutal tactics that world leaders have slammed as genocidal and indiscriminate bombings by the Syrian Army.

Trump wasn"t the only presidential candidate to name Merkel on Thursday when asked which world leader they admire -- the other candidate was Hillary Clinton, whom Trump once deemed "America"s Angela Merkel."

Clinton said she likes "a lot of the world leaders," but said "one of my favorites is Angela Merkel."

"I think she has been an extraordinary, strong leader during difficult times in Europe," Clinton said during a gaggle with reporters aboard her campaign plane.

The questions about world leaders came after Libertarian candidate for president Gary Johnson flubbed the question Wednesday during an MSNBC town hall when he could not name a world leader he admires or respects.

Johnson tried naming former Mexican President Vicente Fox, but could not remember his name.

Obama comes face to face with burdens of 9/11 generation

(CNN)President Barack Obama came face to face with the human cost borne by the military"s 9/11 generation on Wednesday during a CNN presidential town hall moderated by Jake Tapper.

Appearing before amilitaryaudience in Fort Lee, Virginia, Obama also confronted the limits of his own power as he fielded probing questions about terrorist groups and health care delays for veterans. It all played out against the backdrop of the first congressional override of a veto during Obama"s nearly eight years in office.

Obama was also clearly conscious of the fact that his time as commander in chief is almost over and with it his commanding bully pulpit. He used one of his last prime-time television venues Wednesday night to warn against the vision of America presented by some on the other side of the aisle.

Though he denied he was taking a personal swipe at Republican nominee Donald Trump, Obama warned that people who use "loose" language about terrorism and Islam and propose greater scrutiny of US Muslims were on a "slippery slope."

His last question was about two people dear to his hearts who will also set out on a new path when the family leaves the White House in January.

Asked how he would respond if either of his daughters Malia and Sasha said they wanted to join the military, he said: "I"d say, go for it."

But he admitted he would share the anxiety many military families feel when their loved ones, particularly children, are deployed.

"I"d be lying if I said I wouldn"t sometimes get nervous about possible deployments," he told the audience. "Your kids are your kids and you want to keep them tucked in in their pajamas for the rest of your lives if you had the chance."