Fire at White House compound

Hello and welcome to a weekly White House wrap-up
This week firefighter put out a two-alarm fire in the historic Eisenhower Executive Office building that s adjacent to the White House The building houses the vice president s ceremonial offices and a majority of the White House staff Firefighers say the blaze appeared to have started in an electrical closet or telephone bank There were no reports of any injuries
President Bush signed a bill this week that boosts the fuel efficiency standards of vehicles It also calls for wider use of ethanol Automakers will be required to raise mileage to 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020 That s compared with today s 25 miles per gallon standard Bush called the legislation a major step toward energy independence and easing global warming
President Bush reassured a skeptical public this week that the economy is pretty good That s despite a failing housing market a national credit crunch and surging energy costs Bush cited high productivity and consistent job growth while at the same time citing some challenges He called on lawmakers to ease the burden by passing measures to expand the energy supply and make health care more affordable and flexible
That s all for now Thanks for watching UPI s White House wrap-up