Many of the links above are to external Web sites. These sites are not maintained by the Commonwealth or any municipality, and these links are provided as a convenience only. When you use these sites, you will be subject to their privacy policies and terms of use, which we strongly encourage you to review.
A: A spokeswoman for the first lady says that Michelle Obama currently has a staff of 24. That may indeed be the largest of any first lady, but Hillary Clinton, with 19 staffers, and Laura Bush with at least 18 and perhaps more, werenât far behind. Click here to read more.
However, due to a growing Taliban threat, US President Barack Obama has announced he will maintain troop numbers at 9,800 for most of 2016. About 5,500 troops will still be in the country when he leaves office in 2017. The top US commander in Afghanistan, Gen John Campbell, said last week that an enhanced military presence would be necessary if the Taliban were to be repelled.