Obama to hold news conference

U.S. President Barack Obama told reporters he would rather wait to answer questions about Russia and other matters when he holds a news conference Friday. "Guys, I'm going to be having a press conference tomorrow, so why don't you ask that question tomorrow?" Obama said Thursday after delivering remarks with visiting Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. The question a reporter asked was, "Is the reset over?" referring to a symbolic "reset" button the two countries pressed in March 2009 as part of a "fresh start" in U.S.-Russia relations. The White House announced Wednesday Obama canceled a one-on-one summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that had been set for September. The cancellation followed Moscow's decision to grant temporary asylum to U.S. secrets leaker Edward Snowden, but it also came on the heels of disputes between the two countries over arms control, missile defense, Syria, trade and human rights. The news conference, in the White House East Room, is to begin at 3 p.m., the White House said Thursday. It comes as the United States temporarily shut down 19 diplomatic posts in the Middle East and North Africa amid a terror alert. Obama will speak with reporters a day before he and his family leave for a nine-day vacation on Martha's Vineyard, an island south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts