Obama delivers Oval Office address on terror threat

“What we can do – and must do – is make it harder for them to kill”.

“We should not double down on this failed and risky policy that the President called for tonight”, he said in a statement.

He will talk about his determination that the Islamic State group must be destroyed.

“As we’ve become better at preventing complex multifaceted attacks like 9/11, terrorists turn to less complicated acts of violence like the mass shootings that are all too common in our society …”

The president did not announce anything new, but re-emphasized his administration’s commitment to present strategies: a combination of air strikes, special forces operations, financial sanctions, and support for local allies.

Frustrated with a Congress that has not authorised the use of military force on terrorists, he called for such a vote, which would demonstrate American unity.

And according to the Los Angeles Times, Farook had contact with people from at least two militant organisations overseas, including the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front in Syria.

It is our responsibility to reject religious tests on who we admit into this country.

“I know that after so much war, many Americans are asking whether we are confronted by a cancer that has no immediate cure”, he said.

Obama says Muslims can send credible, effective counter messages and undermine jihadist propaganda.

In the prime-time speech, Obama did not roll out major policy changes in the battle against the Islamic State or propose any major new domestic security initiatives. Marco Rubio called for a “substantial ground army” to take on the Islamic State. He says they represent a “tiny fraction” of the Muslim community.

But with the growing threat of Islamic State recruiting across the country, he challenged Muslim-Americans to do more. Obama said the step would make it harder for potential terrorists to obtain weapons.

Among the few specific requests in his speech was for Congress to pass legislation that would block individuals who are on the government no-fly list from purchasing guns.

Obama also asked Congress to renew consideration of gun control measures in response to the shooting, which killed 14 people and wounded 21.

Our intelligence and law enforcement have busted countless plots to keep us safe. “This is a matter of national security”, Obama said. Gun rights advocates oppose the no-fly list proposal because they say it violates the rights of people who haven’t been convicted of a crime.

“The president will… discuss the broader threat of terrorism, including the nature of the threat, how it has evolved, and how we will defeat it”, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement announcing the address. Instead, we will prevail by being strong and smart. “We do see that they went down a path of radicalization and that they had stockpiled weapons with the intent to kill innocents on a substantial scale”.

Obama said, “Our military will continue to hunt down terrorist plotters”.

“ISIL does not speak for Islam”, Obama said. The president’s speech is scheduled to begin soon after 8 p.m. EST, which is sandwiched right between the late afternoon slate of football games, which end around 7:30 p.m. EST, and Sunday Night Football.

Trump live-tweeted during Obama’ speech – and wasn’t impressed with the brevity of the president’s 13-minute address. But Obama’s staff arranged a podium in the Oval Office where Obama will stand, with his desk and the American flag behind him.