Presidential Perks

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President Obama & The First Lady Champion Working Families

President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the White House Summit on Working Families at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington. President Obama, as part of efforts to make the U.S. workplace more accommodating for employees with families, will on Monday direct federal agencies to step up efforts to give workers more leeway in determining their schedules.

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"When women succeed, America succeeds, so there's no such thing as a 'women's issue.'" —Obama #FamiliesSucceed pic.twitter.com/Sxoy8D1PAb

— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) June 23, 2014

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More women are breadwinners in US households. It's time for workplace policies that match. #FamiliesSucceed pic.twitter.com/ySj0Mt6t8X

— U.S. Department of Labor (@USDOL) June 23, 2014

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President Barack Obama is introduced by Lisa Rumain of Martinsville, N.J., at The White House Summit on Working Families

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WorkingFamiliesSummit.Org

On average, women are still paid less than men for doing the same work.
It's time to change that → http://t.co/A8GvhkaIJN #FamiliesSucceed

— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) June 23, 2014

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Christina Hendricks knows the 9 facts about families and work, you should too #FamiliesSucceed http://t.co/ZQ8eWa7Y5t pic.twitter.com/ychpjsYiPc

— Sandy Black (NARA) (@CEASandy) June 23, 2014

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President Barack Obama sits with, from left, Mark Weinberger, Ernst & Young, Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson and Johnson, Shelia Marcello, CEO of Care.com, Debra Lee, Chairman and CEO of BET Networks, and Dave Lissy from Bright Horizons during their meeting at the White House Summit on Working Families

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Marlei Martinez: Obama Seeks ‘Good, Strong, Healthy Families’

President Barack Obama is encouraging Congress and the country to focus on issues here at home — namely how to improve the livelihoods of working families.Here are the five things we learned from our sitdown with the President: 1. The goal of the summit is … “… to lift up the conversation that everybody is already having individually and let people know you’re not alone out here,” Obama said. Priority one: Paid family leave According to a survey from the United Nations’ labor agency, of the 185 countries and territories with readily available information, only three do not provide paid maternity leave. And, you guessed it, the United States made that list. The other two countries are Oman and Papua New Guinea. “Paid family leave, we’re the only advanced country on Earth that doesn’t have it,” the President said. “It doesn’t make any sense. There are a lot of countries that are a lot poorer than we are that also have it.”

"I take this personally because I’m the husband of a brilliant woman who struggled to balance work and raising our girls." —President Obama

— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) June 23, 2014

Priority two: Workplace flexibility The President said he’s pushing for workplace flexibility to give parents the opportunity to become more involved in their children’s lives and education. “We always say that we want parents involved in our kids’ education,” he said. “There are millions of families out there who can’t even imagine taking time off to go to a parent-teacher conference.” This type of workplace flexibility is a practice that he and the first lady believe will improve employee morale and motivation. Priority three: Child care. “We don’t do a very good job providing high-quality, affordable child care, and there are a lot of countries, a lot of our competitors do it,” Obama told Bolduan. “That means that it’s a lot easier for women to be in the workforce and not have to make choices that ultimately mean they’re, in some cases, getting paid less or having less opportunities. And it also means, by the way, that our kids are more likely to thrive.” Add to that list: Equal pay for equal work.

More here

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President Barack Obama mimics someone handing him a baby

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President Barack Obama walks down Calvert Street NW to have lunch at a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Washington, before they attended the White House Summit on Working Families. Walking with President Obama, from second from left are, Shirley Young, Shelby Ramirez, Lisa Rumain, and Rodger Trombley

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President Barack Obama with Shelby Ramirez

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Robin Roberts and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House Summit on Working Families

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The White House Summit on Working Families, Part 3

Live Streaming

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 The First Lady and Robin Roberts are scheduled to speak at the close of the summit, starting at 5:30 EDT

The White House Summit on Working Families, Part 2

Live streaming

The White House Summit on Working Families

Live Streaming

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1:40 EDT: The President delivers remarks at the White House Summit on Working Families

2:10 EDT: Participates in a discussion at the Summit

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Read President Obama's latest op-ed about the need for family-friendly workplace policies: http://t.co/pRR8UrZw1V #FamiliesSucceed

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 23, 2014

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Rise and Shine

On This Day: President Barack Obama looks out a window in the Oval Office, June 23, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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Today (all times Eastern)

12:30: Josh Earnest briefs the press

1:40: The President delivers remarks at the White House Summit on Working Families

2:10: Participates in a discussion at the White House Summit on Working Families

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The Week Ahead

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Obama’s Fault

BREAKING: Chemical weapons watchdog: Syria hands over last of declared chemical weapons stockpile.

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 23, 2014

President Obama got Syria to give up its chemical weapons without a trillion dollar war and 2500+ US deaths. IMPEACH HIM.

— Lord Baelish (@_KingMalcolm) June 23, 2014

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Steve Benen: Cheney doesn’t want to talk about ‘what happened 11 or 12 years ago’

It was discouraging last week when discredited conservatives, who failed spectacularly on U.S. policy in Iraq, were given a media platform to talk about U.S. policy in Iraq. Last week’s Sunday shows alone, featuring the likes of Paul Wolfowitz and Bill Kristol, led James Fallows to argue, “In the circumstances, they might have the decency to shut the hell up on this particular topic for a while. They helped create the disaster Iraqis and others are now dealing with. They have earned the right not to be listened to.”

And yet, these discredited voices remain ubiquitous. Kenneth Pollack, for example, was on CNN yesterday, presented to viewers as a credible expert. Elliott Abrams, who pleaded guilty to withholding information from Congress during the Iran-Contra scandal, and went on serve on the Bush/Cheney National Security Council as head of the Mideast bureau, had a lengthy piece in Politico yesterday describing President Obama as “the man who broke the Middle East.”

More here

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Top Sunday show guests so far in 2014: Rogers (15), McCaul (11), Kinzinger (9), Rand Paul (8), Santorum (8), McCain (7) – all Republicans

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen) June 22, 2014

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ThinkProgress: No, Obama Didn’t Create The Migrant Children Crisis

The number of unaccompanied children apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border has spiked 90 percent since last year. Republicans are responding to the humanitarian situation by making it the latest excuse to halt efforts on immigration reform. While some Republicans are lining their campaign wallets using the crisis, others are trying to blame the President Obama for not enforcing current immigration laws.

… Most children are fleeing extreme violence and a fear of individual safety in Mexico and Central America’s northern triangle of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. And there has been an uptick of these child refugees since 2009, long before either the Senate comprehensive immigration bill or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program (a presidential initiative which grants temporary legal presence to some undocumented immigrants) came into public existence.

…. the current process of dealing with unaccompanied children from countries other than Mexico was set by the Bush administration….

More here

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When faced with a debunked myth about the Benghazi attacks, David Gregory doesn’t say a thing: http://t.co/ndGJLKKPB4 pic.twitter.com/xs92uiwAWk

— Media Matters (@mmfa) June 23, 2014

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TPM: Supreme Court Rulings Are Coming Today: Here’s What To Watch For

The Supreme Court is delivering rulings on Monday at 10 A.M. EST, with several major decisions yet to come in the remaining days of June.

Here’s a refresher on key cases to watch for in the final stretch, which include Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate and the president’s recess appointment power.

More here

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It’s time to update our workplaces policies to help more working #FamiliesSucceed: http://t.co/5cI9S7RiBT pic.twitter.com/PcBavxVNcG

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 22, 2014

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WorkingFamiliesSummit.org

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On This Day

President Obama looks over his prepared remarks in the Outer Oval Office, prior to making a statement to the press, June 23, 2010. Pictured, from left, are Phil Schiliro, assistant to the President for legislative affairs, Vice President Joe Biden, and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama arrives through the Colonnade of the Rose Garden with Gen. David Petraeus and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to announce Petraeus will replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan at the White House, June 23, 2010.

President Obama makes a phone call to Congressional leaders from the Outer Oval Office, June 23, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama is reflected in a mirror in a hallway in the West Wing of the White House, June 23, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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First lady Michelle Obama does push ups with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South Africa, June 23, 2011

First Lady Michelle Obama meets with Dr. Mamphela Ramphele at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, June 23, 2011 (Photo by Samantha Appleton)

First Lady Michelle Obama, joined by Marian Robinson, Sasha Obama and Malia Obama, tours the District 6 Museum in Cape Town, South Africa, June 23, 2011 (Photo by Samantha Appleton)

First Lady Michelle Obama meets with Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, June 23, 2011. Joining the First Lady are, from left: the First Lady’s niece Leslie Robinson, Malia Obama, Marian Robinson, the First Lady’s nephew Avery Robinson, and Sasha Obama (Photo by Samantha Appleton)

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with young people at the U.S. Consulate meet and greet at the Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa, June 23, 2011 (Photo by Samantha Appleton)

President Obama fist-bumps Make-a-Wish child Diego Diaz after reading a letter he wrote, during his visit in the Oval Office, June 23, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama speaks to soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division during a visit to Fort Drum in New York, June 23, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)

At an Obama 2012 Rally, New York City, June 23rd, 2011

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MoooOOOooorning!

Early Bird Chat

On This Day: President Barack Obama greets the family of Make-a-Wish child Diego Diaz, not pictured, before their visit to the Oval Office, June 23, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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MoooOOOooorning – Happy Monday!