Night Owls: White House Performances: Music For The Soul

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If these songs don’t lift your spirits and put a smile on your face, you’re missing a pleasure button. Enjoy! 😀

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Sunnylands Summit

President Obama walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Annenberg Retreat of the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, California.

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Donilon says Obama and Xi spoke for approaching 8 hours.

—
Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) June 08, 2013

Donilon: Obama and Xi took 50 minute walk and meeting solo on grounds of Sunnyland estate. It's at least 108 degrees here!!

—
Jessica Yellin (@YellinCNN) June 08, 2013

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AP: RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — With a stroll under the California desert sun, President Barack Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping opened a second day of talks at a “get to know you” summit featuring a high-stakes agenda. Obama described the talks as “terrific” as he and Xi walked side by side Saturday through the manicured gardens of the sprawling Sunnylands estate. In the spirit of the informal atmosphere at the meetings, the men went without jackets and ties. The presidents rejoined advisers for a session expected to focus on economic issues, along with additional discussions on North Korea and cybersecurity.

It was the leaders’ first meeting since Xi took office in March. They originally were scheduled to hold their first talks in September, on the sidelines of an economic summit in Russia. But both countries agreed there was a need to meet earlier. U.S. officials see Xi as a potentially new kind of Chinese leader. He has deeper ties to the U.S. than many of his predecessors and appears more comfortable in public than the last president, Hu Jintao.

More here

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The Amazing Joe Biden…

Go Local! Must-Win 2013 Nationwide Elections

The off-year election calendar is already hurtling full steam ahead and we better get in the trenches.Julian Castro (D) already won re-election in San Antonio last month. Great, but we have got a lot of work to do NOW. Ed Markey  needs a helping hand for June 25 senate elections in MA, as does Steve Ortega in the El Paso mayoral election on June 16, 2013.

Bedwetters are gonna wet beds, GG-Grifters gonna grift, Code Pink & the Sturtzes are gonna heckle, but their tantrums don’t translate into political power. In fact, that’s their business model to parasite off Democrats in power. They thrive in the political sewer. For us 99%ers, Voting, Organizing and Long Term strategizing are the ONLY means to power. It is in our economic interest to STOP Republicans at every level from getting power and doing very bad things to us little people. Raining hellfire on the nuisance Greenwalds and Sturtzes or whatever is the GOP/corporate media fauxrage of the week, is cathartic fly-swatting every once in a while, but it doesn’t mean a hill of beans if we liberals do NOT hold power.

President Obama was handily reelected and we have an Agenda to enact for the American people at the national level. But state and Local elections are even more important in off-years. That’s where the most damage is done. Democrats fail to take these bread and butter races seriously, then watch American Taliban elected unopposed to statewide offices.

Koch brothers & ALEC are vampires destroying democratic (with a small ‘d’) governance in devastating ways at the local level. They’ve bought state legislatures at bargain basement prices who are dismantling our commonweal brick by brick as we speak. Democrats should NEVER cede any territory uncontested to Republicans. Not on schoolboards (that’s how we got the odious Texas curriculum change nightmare & Arizona ban of Hispanic Studies), or District Judges, or City Council, or Land/Agric Commissioner, or poisonous Ballot initiatives.

The last category lies at the core of GOP base mobilization tactics. Bush used anti-gay ballot initiatives to drive religious fundamentalists to the polls and won reelection in 2004. We have to be similarly savvy to rally against odious Initiatives and also craft some ourselves to advance our interests and mobilize our base.

So let’s get to it. Bookmark this post. Find a campaign or two to volunteer on THIS year. Heck, consider running for some local races yourself. Why Not? Have you heard the caliber of wingnuts who flood City Hall or school board? If we don’t challenge them, they make decisions that destroy our kids’ education, ruin our tax revenue projections, and sell off our towns and cities to the corporate cabal, democracy be damned (See Michigan and weep!)

The Genius That Is Team Obama

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For those who haven’t watched these videos, they are behind the scenes recaps of what we now refer fondly to as ‘Team Obama.’ Enjoy the memories. 😀

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Rise and Shine

President Obama arrives at Palms Springs International Airport, June 7

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Today:

PDT

9:25 AM: President Obama and President Xi Jinping of China hold a bilateral meeting, The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands

11:10 AM: The President participates in a departure greet with President Xi Jinping and First Lady Madame Peng Liyuan

Sunday:

PDT

10:25 AM: The President departs Palm Springs, CA

EDT

5:55: Arrives The White House

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The Week Ahead:

Monday: The President will deliver remarks at the White House commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act.

Tuesday: Will deliver remarks at the White House in support of the Senate’s bipartisan immigration reform bill. Later in the morning, the President will host President Ollanta Humala of Peru at the White House.

Wednesday: The President will travel to Boston for an event for Ed Markey for Senate and the Massachusetts Democratic Party. From there, he will travel to Miami for a DNC event and will return to the White House in the evening.

Thursday: Will deliver remarks at the LGBT Pride Month celebration at the White House.

Friday: The President will welcome the WNBA Champion Indiana Fever to the White House to honor the team and their victory in the WNBA Finals

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Pete Souza: President Obama with China’s President Xi Jinping at The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands.

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And now we find out WaPo is backing way, way, way away from Greenwald’s claims. read.bi/18cZ5mn

— Zandar (@ZandarVTS) June 7, 2013

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Business Insider: The Washington Post Has Now Hedged Its Stunning Claim About Google, Facebook, Etc, Giving The Government Direct Access

…. the Washington Post reported a shocking story about how the FBI and National Security Agency had partnered with Google, Facebook, and many other tech companies to spy on the tech companies’ hundreds of millions of users …. Not surprisingly, the Post’s story created an instant explosion of outrage. The ire was directed at both the government and the technology companies.

….. 24 hours later, after more denials and questions, the Post has made at least two important changes to its spying story.

More here

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WaPo changed “track a person’s movements and contacts” to “track foreign targets.” There’s a huge difference between the two versions.

— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) June 7, 2013

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Now we find out as a result of his being wrong, GG is getting booked on the Sunday shows.All this starting to make sense now?

— Zandar (@ZandarVTS) June 7, 2013

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Night Owls ll: Gorillaz

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