Obama Signs Defense Bill

President Obama signed a controversial defense bill into law on Saturday, despite admitting that he has “serious reservations” about the handling of terror suspects. The $662 billion provides funding for military personnel, weapons systems, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the fiscal year starting on Oct. 1. It also freezes $700 million in funding for Pakistan until the country develops a plan for dealing with improvised explosive devices. The White House had threatened to veto the bill, until Congress made a number of last-minute changes. In a signing statement, Obama insisted that the “administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens. Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a nation.”