President Obama made good today on this Friday afternoon on earlier threats by vetoing legislation passed unanimously by the House and Senate. The rejected bill would waive sovereign immunity protections for Saudi Arabia and allow victims of the Sept. 11 attacks or their relatives to sue the Saudi government for allegedly helping at least some of the 19 hijackers who carried out those attacks. Fifteen of the attackers were Saudi nationals.
The veto, the 12th of Obama's presidency, sets the stage for likely showdown votes next week in both the House and Senate. If two-thirds majorities of each chamber vote to override the president's veto, it will be the first time that's happened during Obama's nearly eight years in office.
-- Henry Frederick, Headline Surfer, from wire reports