14 | January | 2014 | The Obama Diary

President whistled at end of today’s cabinet meeting – burning question: what was the tune? http://t.co/8X7TpyFnuP http://t.co/onsvyk01Yv

— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) January 15, 2014

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Pres Obama at Cabinet Mtg today (for camera buffs, the 85mm at f/1.2) pic.twitter.com/bHt6gwDdNU

— petesouza (@petesouza) January 15, 2014

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Don’t miss the deadline: Be covered with health insurance on February 1st. http://t.co/OzyFAQukpN

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 14, 2014

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Thank you @mariashriver for a great meeting with President Obama, and for all your work on #WhatWomenNeed pic.twitter.com/CWQ8is4afa

— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) January 15, 2014

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Getting the word out about healthy eating with @KingJames, @DwyaneWade, @ChrisBosh and Ray Allen. #LetsMove, pic.twitter.com/7r7w7jxXQS

— FLOTUS (@FLOTUS) January 15, 2014

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First Lady Michelle Obama’s inaugural dress goes on display at Smithsonian; Pres Obama *very* reluctant to let it go: pic.twitter.com/yp1ddNN0fa

— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) January 14, 2014

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Train Wreck? 🙂 How about Tidal Wave? #Obamacare pic.twitter.com/GPJxFcRFWY

— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) January 14, 2014

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All reporters writing that “the Senate” or “partisan bickering” killed the UI extension, please stay after class. pic.twitter.com/AQLQ3ip3ix

— George Zornick (@gzornick) January 14, 2014

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Awesome that the media is a million more times suspicious of peace negotiations with Iran than it was about the drive to war with Iraq.

— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) January 14, 2014

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They said it couldn’t be done, but we raised $12.2M, $700,000 more than their $11.5, thanks to you! #TeamWendy

— Wendy Davis (@WendyDavisTexas) January 15, 2014

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@WendyDavisTexas FANTASTIC. You deserve it Senator Davis!!! And, Yes You Will Turn Texas Blue!!! #FORWARD cc @OFA @OFA_TX

— Bobfr (@Our4thEstate) January 15, 2014

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Blissful news that @WendyDavisTexas outraised Greg Abbott, keep her ahead, #StandWithWendy -> https://t.co/aODXlAoufP pic.twitter.com/4okvO84SRU

— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) January 15, 2014

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Journalism was a thing once.

— God (@TheTweetOfGod) January 14, 2014

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@TheObamaDiary Admiral Chips and Danny no doubt. pic.twitter.com/PrVKb9KL9p

— Nelson (@Yardarm756DD) January 14, 2014

Aaaaaaaw, thank you Shipmate! That’s me on the right.

President Obama talks with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain following their bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, Jan. 13, 2014.(Photo by Pete Souza)

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Today:

11:0: The President holds a Cabinet Meeting; the Vice President also attends

1:15: Jay Carney briefs the press

2:55: The President honors the 2013 NBA Champions Miami Heat

3:30: The President meets with the Executive Committee of the National Governors Association

4:45: The President and Vice President meet with Secretary of Defense Hagel

5:30: The President meets with Maria Shriver to discuss the Shriver Report

The Week Ahead:

Wednesday: The President will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, for an event on the economy

Thursday: The President and First Lady will host an event at the White House on expanding college opportunity

Friday: The President will make remarks about the outcome of the review that he has led on the issue of signal intelligence

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WH.gov: In the States: Affordable Care Act Enrollment “Soars,” “Spikes,” “Surges” and “Takes Off”

For the first time today, as part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ regular reporting on enrollment in private health care plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, the department released demographic information on the enrollees, including breakdowns by age.

It’s fascinating and important stuff. But we were also struck by the way in which local press stepped back and saw the even bigger story – that day after day, month after month, more and more of our friends and neighbors in every part of the country are getting the security and peace of mind of affordable coverage. Reading the headlines below, it was a bright, shining reminder of one of the big reasons the President fought so hard to pass the Affordable Care Act in the first place.

Associated Press: “Health care enrollment spikes in Utah in December”
Detroit Free Press: “Health insurance enrollment takes off in Michigan, nation for coverage under ACA”
Detroit News: “Feds: Michigan experiences 11-fold increase in health care sign-ups”
MLive: “Obamacare signups in Michigan spike in December; see demographic breakdown”
Sun-Sentinel: “Obamacare enrollment gains traction in Florida”
Stevens Point Journal: “Obamacare enrollment soars in Wisconsin”
Palm Beach Post: “Florida’s Obamacare enrollment surges, as does the nation’s”
Albuquerque Business First: “New Mexico’s Healthcare.gov enrollment soars”
Bellingham Herald: “Wash. one of top states in health care enrollment”
WSFA: “More Alabamians signing up for health insurance”
Capital New York: “Strong Obamacare numbers from NY exchange director”
Gannett: “More Hoosiers joined health exchange in December”
Des Moines Register: “7,500 Iowans have signed up for private insurance on healthcare.gov, compared to 757 a month ago”

The Gazette: “Colorado health insurance enrollments continue at steady pace”
WRAL: “North Carolina fifth nationally in enrollment under health law”
Boise State Public Radio: “Idaho’s Health Insurance Exchange Enrollment Increases 1,000 Percent”
WLTX: “Health Insurance Enrollment Spikes in South Carolina”
Billings Gazette: “Montana sign-ups for Obamacare policies surge in December”

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@igorvolsky

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Chicago Tribune: Obamacare enrollment surges in December

Just more than 61,000 Illinoisans selected new health insurance polices created under President Barack Obama’s health care law through Dec. 28, as a December surge in enrollment helped the marketplaces recover from a disastrous Oct. 1 launch.

The Illinois enrollments are up nearly ninefold from November, when a little more than 7,000 selected policies, according to federal data released Monday. Nationwide, nearly 2.2 million selected a plan through Dec. 28, with the vast majority coming in December.

More here

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KEY: Young & healthy enrollees may be enrolling in Obamacare plans at a faster rate than they did in MA: http://t.co/sbDWjaaj1P

— igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) January 13, 2014

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Progress Texas: Nearly Half a Million Texans Apply For Coverage Through ACA

New numbers on ACA enrollment are out, and nearly half a million Texans have applied for coverage through the federal exchange. The latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show us that:

457,382 total Texans who applied for coverage through completed applications
390,658 Texans have been found eligible to enroll in a marketplace plan
Over 47,000 have been found eligible to enroll in the state’s existing Medicaid or

Ed Espinoza, Executive Director of Progress Texas, released the following statement:

Twelve weeks of ACA has done more to help Texans without health care than Rick Perry has done in twelve years as Governor.

More here

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Latest Obamacare data show enrollment reaching 65% of target. See how your state did: http://t.co/yJXZUnNt55 pic.twitter.com/Inrf948Ipj

— NYT Graphics (@nytgraphics) January 13, 2014

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How you know the new Obamacare numbers are not half bad. Fox News chyron casts them as “hazy.”

— igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) January 14, 2014

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Steve Benen: So long, IRS ‘scandal’

Last spring, the IRS “scandal” was all the rage. The White House’s detractors and much of the Beltway media was quite certain the story was Watergate, Iran-Contra, Teapot Dome, Abscam, all rolled into one mega-scandal.

And then it all collapsed. The tax agency didn’t single out conservatives for unfair scrutiny; there was no conspiracy; and the news organizations that were obsessed with the story when it looked bad completely lost interest when it looked meaningless. The smoking gun was a water pistol, and the political world moved on past the discredited allegations.

All the while, lingering in the background, was an FBI probe, with federal law enforcement investigating to determine if any laws were broken. Care to guess how that turned out?

More here

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TPM: NY Post Columnist Ripped For Dubbing Newtown A ‘Little Convenient Massacre’

Longtime New York Post columnist Fred Dicker came under fire from gun control advocates Monday for referring to the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting as a “little convenient massacre.”

Dicker made the comment on his radio show while discussing New York’s SAFE Act, a package of strict gun control legislation that Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed into law about a month after the September 2012 shooting. Dicker said Cuomo had promised not to pass anti-gun legislation, “but then he had a little convenient massacre that went on in Newtown, Conn. and all the sudden there was an opportunity for him.”

More here

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