Obama pardons turkeys, jokes about not needing Congressional approval

Continuing a long presidential tradition, President Obama pardoned two turkeys (named Liberty and Peace) Wednesday while his daughters Sasha and Malia watched. Members of the White House press corp were there and he threw out a couple jokes.

In reference to the tradition, he said to the news media, "some of you may know that recently I’ve been taking a series of executive actions that don’t require Congressional approval," according to the New York Times. He also said the two saved turkeys had been given media training for the press corp that included "learning how to gobble without really saying anything."