Hiya people, just to let you know I’m going to be away from home for the next three weeks or so and at times I’ll have limited internet access. I will, though, be posting every day, it’s just that updates will be slower some of the time.
On days like that I’d hugely appreciate it if you could keep things going by posting links to articles and videos in the comments – and when I get back on the blog I’ll update everything and release unregistered visitors’ comments from the hell that is ‘pending’ (unless you’re Tea/Firebaggers, of course).
Love ya all 😉
PS Just to reassure you, everything is excellent – those three weeks on the road will be 1% work and 99% pleasure!
President Obama meets with Warren Buffett, the Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, in the Oval Office, July 18. (Pete Souza)
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I think we can guess that that ‘quiet’ schedule might just get busy in the afternoon….
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I wonder will Fox cover Murdoch and Brooks’ appearances tomorrow (Tuesday) in front of a British parliament committee? (Listed times at CNN are EDT):
A few days ago I laughed at the idea of Murdoch’s hideous empire being brought down …. now I’m not so sure. This story just gets stranger and stranger. There’s great coverage of the whole sordid affair at The Guardian.
Elizabeth Warren: This is a big week for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Today, the President will announce his intent to nominate Richard Cordray to serve as its first Director. On Thursday, the CFPB makes its transition from a start-up to a real, live agency with the authority to write rules and to supervise the activities of America’s largest banks.
Rich will be a strong leader for this agency. He has a proven track record of fighting for families during his time as head of the CFPB enforcement division, as Attorney General of Ohio, and throughout his career. He was one of the first senior executives I recruited for the agency, and his hard work and deep commitment make it clear he can make many important contributions in leading it. Rich is smart, he is tough, and he will make a stellar Director. I am very pleased for him and very pleased for the CFPB.
…. Our mission is clear: No one should be tricked in any financial transaction. Prices and risks should be clear. People should be able to make apples-to-apples comparisons. Fine print should be mowed down, not used to hide nasty surprises. And, everyone – even trillion dollar banks – should follow the law…..
President Barack Obama announces Richard Cordray as his nominee to be the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the Rose Garden, July 18. Obama was joined by Elizabeth Warren, Special Advisor on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
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Ezra Klein: There’s a fair amount of disappointment over the White House’s decision to formally nominate Richard Cordray rather than Elizabeth Warren to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau….
I don’t really understand this. Whoever is nominated to lead the CFPB is going to spend the next year of his life being filibustered by Republicans …. so the question isn’t who you want leading the CFPB for the foreseeable future. It’s who you want spending his or her time being stopped from leading the CFPB for the foreseeable future. And it’s not clear that the answer to that question is “Elizabeth Warren.”
Warren, after all, has another option that she appears to be taking seriously: challenging Scott Brown in the 2012 electionm … if she wants to do that, she can’t spend the next year being blocked from leading the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau…
…. Cordray, a former Ohio attorney general with a great reputation in consumer-protection circles and Warren’s blessing, doesn’t have anything to run for until Ohio’s governorship opens in 2014. By all accounts, he’s a good choice to lead the agency now, if he can somehow get past the Republicans, and spending a few years publicly fighting to protect consumers is unlikely to hurt him back home.
… given the information we have now, it seems like a fairly smart way to deploy the talents and preserve the future options of the various consumer protectors whom Republicans plan to filibuster.
Statement by the President and Mrs. Obama on Nelson Mandela International Day
As the people of the world celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 93rd birthday on July 18, Madiba continues to be a beacon for the global community, and for all who work for democracy, justice and reconciliation. On behalf of the people of the United States, we congratulate Nelson Mandela, and honor his vision for a better world.
Nelson Mandela said, ‘There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.’ A man who devoted 67 years of his life to public service, Madiba sets the standard for service worldwide, whether we are students, shopkeepers or farmers, cabinet ministers or presidents. He calls on us to serve our fellow human beings, and better our communities.
Michelle, and my daughters, Sasha and Malia, recently met Madiba during an official visit to South Africa that focused on service, youth leadership, education and healthy living. Their time with Madiba was the most moving part of their trip. Mandela’s legacy exemplifies wisdom, strength and grace, and on the anniversary of his birth we salute the example of his life.
In 2009, the United States was honored to join 192 other United Nations member states in the creation of Nelson Mandela International Day. As the global community honors Madiba on July 18 through individual and collective acts of service, we honor the man who showed his own people, and the world, the path to justice, reconciliation and democracy.
A short interview with two women attending President Obama’s inauguration.
Nothing unusual – except the woman on the right is Michele Bachmann’s stepsister, Helen LaFave.
Maureen O’Connor (Gawker); How Bachmann can look at these mild-mannered ladies – one of whom she grew up with – and conclude that acknowledging their relationship would destroy America is beyond me. I can’t even summon the sarcasm to write a joke about it. It’s too stupid. More here
The Obama Diary 
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