US President Barack Obama warned the American people against succumbing to the fear that gripped the world after terrorists rampaged through Paris last week, sparking fierce debate across the country over how to handle an influx of refugees from conflict in Syria and Iraq.
Swiftly after the attacks, which killed 129 and wounded hundreds more, the House of Representatives passed a bill with bipartisan support that would effectively pause the Obama administration's plan to resettle up to 10,000 asylum seekers.
The president said the US homeland was being protected by the world's best security professionals, after the State Department on Monday night issued a worldwide travel alert warning US citizens to be vigilant traveling during the holiday season.
Diplomatically, Hollande and Obama expressed hope that the negotiations under way in Vienna between world powers could lead to a realistic political transition away from Bashar Assad, the embattled Syrian president who has presided over the war and who both men feel is its primary belligerent.